


Chasing Daybreak

by jurilit



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Anal Sex, Falling In Love, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, First Time Blow Jobs, Fluff, Light Bondage, M/M, Male My Unit | Byleth, Masturbation, Multiple Orgasms, Mutual Pining, No Spoilers, Piercings, Praise Kink, Pre-Time Skip, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:41:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28615254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jurilit/pseuds/jurilit
Summary: Dimitri had never been in love before. He didn't know what that looked like, what that felt like. But he did know that his professor's smile was the most beautiful thing in all of Fodlan, and he would do anything to protect it.ORDimitri definitely wants to bone his teacher but has no idea how to do it.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 14
Kudos: 156





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Dimitri has tea with Byleth, and realizes something profound.

Dimitri could pinpoint the exact moment where everything changed.

It wasn’t when one would think, no. It wasn’t the moment this former mercenary had shown up, only a few years older than Dimitri at the most and became a Professor at the monastery. It wasn’t then. Then, there was a part of Dimitri that didn’t trust him when they’d first met, especially since this new professor was going to be overseeing his class. 

But as the professor held his lectures, as he led them on the battlefield, as he spent almost all of his free time with his students, or around the monastery, Dimitri could feel the winds of change quietly blowing through Garreg Mach. 

Dimitri learned that Byleth was someone who completely and wholly committed to everything he did. On the battlefield, he was always completely focused, calling out orders and moving with deadly grace and precision when cutting down his enemies. He made sure that every student sustained the least amount of injuries as possible, and divided teams based on strengths and weaknesses so that students would be able to cover for one another. 

In the classroom, Dimitri was well aware that Byleth didn’t have any academia experience before coming to the monastery, and definitely didn’t have much experience teaching and was curious as to how Byleth would adapt. But somehow, he had become a great teacher that all of the students at the monastery, Blue Lions or not, looked up to. 

Byleth was a mercenary, a fighter by trade, and Dimitri had never really seen him use magic, but he seemed to be able to effortlessly explain spells and formulas to Annette and Mercedes, whenever they asked for extra help after class. 

He never seemed like the gentle type, but Dimitri would often pass by the greenhouse to see Byleth in there with Dedue, the two of them in a comfortable silence as they watered plants. There seemed to be a light in the professor’s eyes when he went back to the greenhouse every week to reap his harvest. He gave out any flowers that bloomed as gifts to his students, male or female, Blue Lions or not. Students eventually began vying for receiving flowers from Byleth, even if they weren’t particularly interested in gardening at all.

Dimitri even saw Byleth and Ashe trading fishing tips, and watched them fish together at the pier. When Sylvain invited the professor to have lunch with him, Felix, and Ingrid after class one day, Byleth agreed, and Dimitri watched all three of their faces light up in their own way. Sylvain beamed. Felix, as always, pretended as though he didn’t want to attend, but Dimitri could tell by the sparkle in his eyes that he was very excited -- probably to pick Byleth’s brain about fighting techniques. Ingrid clapped her hands together and started preemptively scolding Sylvain and Felix about not eating like savages in front of the professor.

At the training grounds, Byleth worked with everyone, adjusting their techniques so that they would get the most power and accuracy from every movement. 

“On the battlefield, every movement that does not serve a purpose is energy wasted,” he would say. Dimitri would watch Felix get frustrated in spars with Byleth when the professor would take a win by adding a brawling element to their swordplay. Dimitri thought one day he might try adding that to his own fighting style. 

The most coveted activity with Byleth was tea time. That was special, one-on-one time with the professor that every student (and faculty member, Dimitri noticed), secretly (and not-so-secretly, for some) wanted with Byleth. He was beautiful and enigmatic; a complete monster of a warrior and a genius tactician on the battlefield, but had an endearing softness to him that made him easy to get along with, even if one couldn’t often tell what he was feeling based on the expressions on his deadpan face. It made people want to get to know him better to see all the kinds of expressions that Byleth could make. 

Dimitri had been the first person that Byleth had invited to tea many weeks ago, though Dimitri figured it was just because he was the leader of the Blue Lions house and future King of Faerghus. Even so, he was still happy to receive the invite.

“What kind of tea do you like?” Byleth had asked, rummaging through a few boxes of tea.

“I’m sure that I would enjoy anything you have on you, Professor,” Dimitri assured him politely.

“Hmm, alright,” Byleth said, grabbing a gold tin and started to prepare the tea. Dimitri waited patiently until a familiar smoky sweet scent wafted through the air. He poured the tea into a beautiful cup, arranging a few snacks on the table before he sat down. “I thought we could have some chamomile.”

Dimitri blinked a few times before nodding. “Chamomile is my favorite.”

“Oh, it’s mine as well,” Byleth said, Dimitri noticing his dark green eyes light up ever so slightly. “It was the very first tea that my father taught me to brew, I think. Not that we had much time for tea like this when we were traveling, but I had it whenever I could.”

Dimitri took a sip of the tea, delicious and herbaceous, steeped for just the right amount of time to bring out the smoky apple flavor that Dimitri loved. “It’s wonderful, Professor, thank you.”

He realized that he’d never really had peaceful, tranquil time with Byleth like this. The Blue Lions had dinner together every Saturday night, but those dinners were usually filled with laughter and chatter. Byleth was also a comically voracious eater, loading up his plate and usually choosing to just eat and listen rather than engage. Now, just sipping tea with Byleth in the garden, Dimitri had a chance to really look at the professor. 

He was objectively beautiful, Dimitri had already known this from the moment he laid eyes on him at Remire, and from the way he drew attention from both men and women. But over time, and especially now, sitting this close, Dimitri really noticed that Byleth was...cute. His mannerisms, the slight shifts in tone of his voice, the way that Byleth’s dark green hair fell into his eyes and framed his face. How long his eyelashes were, how his green eyes sparkled with bits of gold and emerald. How soft and pink his lips looked when he put them to his tea cup to drink—

_ Oh, no,  _ Dimitri thought.

He didn’t remember what they’d talked about that afternoon, but he did know that he had a lot of fun. Even if Byleth did probably only invite him because he was the future Holy King, Dimitri found himself not really caring. He went to the market after tea that day to buy Byleth his favorite brand of chamomile tea. He’d give it to him as a gift later.

One morning, weeks later, Dimitri passed the greenhouse, and briefly thought about how he had yet to receive flowers from Byleth. He told himself it was fine, though, he didn’t care for flowers very much, and he usually spent time with Byleth at the training grounds, or at the stables, since Byleth had been encouraging him to pick up riding. He’d gotten to spend a lot of time with Byleth and now trusted him completely. So what if he didn’t get any flowers? 

“Oh, Dimitri,” he heard a familiar voice call and turned immediately. Byleth was dressed light today, in the academy’s summer outfit, as it was Sunday, and Dimitri thought he actually looked pretty...cute. 

“Good afternoon, Professor,” Dimitri greeted, ignoring how the slight breeze blew strands of Byleth’s deep green hair into his face. “How are you enjoying your free time today?”

“Quite well, thank you,” Byleth responded. “I was actually looking for you.”

“Oh, me?” Dimitri asked, surprised. “I—what do you need from me, Professor?”

“I was wondering if you were available now to share some tea with me,” Byleth said and Dimitri felt his breath hitch. An invite to have tea with Byleth again! 

“Yes, I’m free. I would love to,” Dimitri said. 

“Lovely. Shall we go now?”

Dimitri nodded. “Yes, but I have something that I’d like to give you. May I retrieve it and then meet you at the faculty gardens shortly?” 

“Oh, sure,” Byleth said with a nod. “I’ll procure some snacks in the meantime. Last time we had tea, I don’t think there were enough snacks.”

“I believe you ate them all last time, Professor,” Dimitri reminded him playfully, and Byleth’s lips seemed to curve up in a little smile.

_ So cute, _ Dimitri thought.

“That’s right, I did. Well, I’ll get more snacks so that you may have some, too.”

“Sounds great, Professor, I’ll see you soon,” Dimitri said, waving as he headed back to his room to grab the box of chamomile that he had purchased a few weeks back. It was still sealed so it would still be fresh. He hurried over to the professor’s garden, where he was setting up some snacks, already seeming to currently be eating a pastry.

“Dimitri,” he greeted, covering his mouth since he had, indeed, just finished off a scone.

“Professor, thank you so much for having me for tea this afternoon,” Dimitri said with a smile, ignoring how cute Byleth was with crumbs on his mouth. He handed Byleth the little aluminum tin. “I, ah—it’s not much, but I got you this shortly after our first tea time together, since we both enjoy chamomile. This is my favorite tea, from back home in Faerghus.”

Dimitri watched the professor’s eyes light up slightly as he examined the tin. “This is very thoughtful of you, thank you, Dimitri,” he said. “I don’t believe I’ve really spent much time in Faerghus before, so I’ve not tried this tea before. Would you like to brew it?”

“My father used to make it for me when I was a boy. I would love to show you how he taught me to do it,” Dimitri said, and Byleth offered the tin back to Dimitri. As Dimitri showed Byleth the process that his father had taught him, Byleth watching attentively and silently, absorbing every detail. 

Dimitri poured the tea for both of them before sitting across Byleth. The professor took a sip and it was Dimitri’s turn to watch attentively to see his reaction. “This is lovely, Dimitri. It is the best cup of tea I’ve had since coming to Garreg Mach,” he complimented, and Dimitri was absolutely  _ glowing _ . 

“I’m so honored and pleased you like it, Professor. Now you can make it yourself, authentically Faergherian,” he said, beaming. 

“It won’t be authentic unless it’s made by the Crown Prince of Faerghus, as taught by the former King. What makes this tea delicious isn’t the flavor, or even where it’s from, but the love and care behind which it is made,” Byleth said, to which Dimitri felt his cheeks color. “It is clear your father loved you very much.”

“T-that’s very kind of you to say, Professor. Thank you,” Dimitri said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“I have something for you as well,” Byleth said, standing to fetch something from a tray nearby. “Though not as delicious as your tea, I did do a bit of research and asked Dedue for some advice on your food preferences. And I recruited Mercedes to assist me with this project earlier in the morning. They were baking while I was in the greenhouse.”

He placed a delicate plate of three puffed pastries, each with a different color jam pressed into the center, powdered sugar dusted lightly on top. “It’s slightly different than the bun trio the Head Chef would make — this one is Noa fruit, this one is Albinean berry, and this one is peach currant and apple.”

“Professor, your thoughtfulness never ceases to amaze me,” Dimitri said with admiration. “You made these for me?”

“You are a hard worker, and my best student, and I would like to reward your efforts,” Byleth told him and Dimitri was practically giddy from the praise. “And, in all honesty, I had been expecting you to be free upon finding you, which is why I made them today.”

“I can’t wait to try these, they look delicious,” Dimitri said, gathering a butter knife and placing a small plate in front of himself and the professor. “Would you split each one with me? I’d like to try them all with you.”

“Of course,” Byleth said, as Dimitri was already starting to cut into them. 

The hour they spent together passed too quickly for Dimitri’s liking. He could spend all day with the professor if it were possible, but Byleth needed to go to choir practice soon and Dimitri wanted to respect his time. 

“I had such a lovely time this afternoon, Professor,” Dimitri said earnestly as he stood, helping Byleth gather the plates and cups.

“Good, as did I,” Byleth said, also standing. “Would you like to have tea again with me next Sunday?”

Dimitri felt a warmth bloom in his chest. The professor was making plans with him for next week? Reserving his precious free time in advance for Dimitri? “Yes, I would love to.”

“Wonderful, it’s a date,” Byleth said and Dimitri’s face immediately turned pink.

“P-professor, a d-date, I—”

Then Byleth actually  _ laughed _ , a lovely, beautiful sound that he stifled a bit with a loose fist. Oh, how Dimitri wanted to bottle up that sound and keep it just for himself to listen to whenever he pleased. “You are so very easy to tease, Dimitri.”

Dimitri swallowed, visibly deflating. “So...no tea next week?”

Byleth chuckled again, placing a hand on Dimitri’s shoulder. “I wasn’t teasing about that, Dimitri. I would love to have tea with you every Sunday. Would that be amenable for you?” 

The prince beamed. “Y-yes, that sounds amazing, Professor. I’ll be sure to keep this block of time open every week.”

“Great,” Byleth said, and paused for a moment, holding up a finger to signal for Dimitri to wait. He pulled out a beautiful bunch of bright blue flowers from his satchel, handing them to Dimitri. Forget-me-nots. “See you,” he said, and swept out before Dimitri could even say anything.

_ Oh, Goddess _ , Dimitri thought as he watched the professor’s back get smaller and smaller. He glanced down at the small, delicate bouquet of flowers. Everything changed in this moment, where he realized,  _ I love him. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A friend of mine bought me FE3H for Christmas, and I have been obsessed with the Blue Lions house so I had to write this of Dimitri and M!Byleth. Haven't finished the Blue Lions route at this point in time which is why this is pre-timeskip, also pre-timeskip Dimitri is very adorable and I miss him. Sexy times to come ;-)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Dimitri goes on a ride, and Byleth gets naked.

Weekly tea with Byleth had been wonderful, week after week. Dimitri never shared this information about his schedule with anyone. If any of the other students found out that he and Byleth had a standing tea time every week, he knew they would get jealous. Hell, he would be outrageously jealous if he found out Byleth had standing tea time — or any standing time — with anyone else. 

This particular Sunday, though, Dimitri was feeling like pushing his luck. He noticed that Byleth had gone to a rescheduled choir practice earlier in the day, so he hoped that the professor would be free after their scheduled tea time. He had practiced what he was going to say earlier when he had brushed his horse.

“Professor, excuse me — I apologize if I am bothering you, but do you have a moment?” Dimitri started, having prefaced his words with a rap on Byleth’s open office door.

Byleth closed whatever book he was reading, folding his hands over his desk and giving Dimitri his full attention. “Oh, you’re early today, Dimitri. But you’re never bothering me. What may I help you with?” 

“I was wondering if instead of tea today, you had the time to go riding with me.”

“Oh?” There was a lilt of curiosity in the Professor’s voice. 

“W-well, since you’ve been teaching me more about horses and horseback riding, it’s actually become something of great interest and enjoyment for me. I found this great spot with a beautiful view that I wish to show you, as gratitude for your guidance,” Dimitri said, trying his best not to sound too hopeful, but Byleth’s expression didn’t waver. “Although, if you—I know you’re busy, so if you have other matters to attend to I completely understand—”

Byleth let out a little sound that Dimitri had come to recognize as the professor’s laughter. He stood up and offered Dimitri a tiny, gorgeous smile. “A ride sounds lovely, Dimitri.”

Dimitri’s heart soared and he tried hard not to let his joy show too obviously on his face. “Wonderful. Shall we go soon?”

“Let’s go now, lest someone else catch us before we head off,” Byleth said, and Dimitri was relieved. He had the same thought and had been hoping that Byleth would be free immediately. He wanted to spend time with the professor alone. Byleth gathered a satchel off his desk and tossed in a few fruits and snacks. He paused. “You don’t mind if I eat along the way, right? Our tea times are usually my first break of the day.”

“I don’t mind at all,” Dimitri said with a smile as they headed out to the stables. “I am glad that I am able to provide you with a much needed break, Professor. You always work so tirelessly.”

“I should be saying the same to you,” Byleth said with a hint of teasing in his voice. Dimitri had learned to differentiate between all the little nuances of Byleth’s voice and facial expressions. Through observation (out of his peripherals, whenever Byleth was talking to anyone else but him), he knew he was the only person with whom Byleth teased. “You’ve been at the training grounds all day.”

“Yes, just honing my skills, of course. I’ve been working on the new stance you taught me the other day,” Dimitri admitted. 

“More like you've been training all day to warrant taking a break,” Byleth said knowingly, sending Dimitri a knowing glance. “You’ve been doing so every Sunday before our tea times.”

“I—well, I—um, that’s not—” Dimitri started, and Byleth actually let out a little laugh this time, covering his mouth and nudging Dimitri with an elbow teasingly.

“You act as though I don’t know you,” Byleth said with a sigh. “Well, as long as you’re taking breaks, and not overworking yourself, I am more than happy to join you to ensure that. Besides, a horseback ride does sound lovely.”

The professor did know Dimitri pretty well, especially after spending so much time having tea together, fighting beside each other on the field, sparring at the training grounds, and even at their weekly dinners with the Blue Lions. At times, Dimitri felt like Byleth could see right through him, into his soul and all the ugliness and hatred that laid beneath. He actually didn’t doubt that Byleth could see all of that, no matter how much he tried to hide it. But Byleth still supported him anyway, in every way that he could. It was one of the reasons why Dimitri had fallen so hard for him.

The two did manage to get delayed a few times on the way to the stables. Annette caught up with them to ask if Byleth would help her with a particularly difficult spell, but he gently told her that he would help her first thing in the morning. Sylvain called out to Byleth to ask if he’d like to have a late lunch with him and Felix, but Byleth promised them dinner tomorrow. 

He had been a little worried that Byleth, in all his kindness, would invite other students along for their ride, but was grateful that Byleth also seemed to want to spend time with just him. It only made Dimitri that much more possessive, that much more obsessed with wanting Byleth’s eyes on him and him alone.

“How has she been?” Byleth asked as Dimitri brought out his horse, Iris.

“Because of your guidance, she and I have been getting along quite swimmingly,” Dimitri said, looking up at his beautiful white steed with admiration, petting her mane. “A true companion, albeit a bit stubborn.”

Iris huffed in response, bringing another small smile to Byleth’s face as he brought out his own charcoal black horse, Ember. “Reminds me of someone else I know.”

“I don’t believe I’m  _ that _ stubborn, Professor,” Dimitri argued playfully as he hopped on Iris’ saddle. 

“Sure, Your Highness,” Byleth replied just as lightly, hopping onto his black horse and following behind Dimitri. Dimitri felt privileged to be able to joke around with his professor like this. “Now. Let’s get out of here, shall we?”

“Couldn’t agree with you more, Professor.” 

—-

Byleth munched on a Morfis plum as they trotted leisurely through the fields outside Garreg Mach, the two of them engaged in idle chitchat. Byleth would pause every once in a while to share some knowledge about a plant he might’ve learned about, Dimitri would share a story from one of his other classes or a story he shared with someone from the academy. 

It was nice; Dimitri felt peace for a moment for one of the first times in a long, long time.

The sun was just beginning to set, painting the sky a fiery red and orange as they reached the canyon. “Well, here it is, Professor,” Dimitri said as they reached a patch of grass with a beautiful bed of wild white lilies. The spot was near the edge of a cliff that overlooked the valley, rocky ridges flowed different shades of violet and lilac in the shadow of the setting sun.

Byleth looked around, the wind gently blowing through his hair, as he hopped off Ember, allowing his horse to graze as he approached the cliff. He took a deep breath of the fresh air as his eyes wandered across the expanse of the canyon.

“Lilies are my favorite,” he said as he heard Dimitri approach on foot.

“I didn’t know you had a favorite flower, Professor,” Dimitri said honestly, but inwardly, thanked the Goddess for this amazing luck.

“I didn’t until just now,” Byleth said, and Dimitri felt his cheeks warm. “This is a lovely place.”

_ And even lovelier now that you’re here, _ Dimitri thought. He bent down to carefully pick a lily, handing it to Byleth, who took it with a gentle smile. Dimitri nearly melted into the earth. 

The two of them overlooked the view in a comfortable silence, and Dimitri watched as Byleth gazed out, a soft, peaceful look on his face as the crisp wind blew through his dark green hair. Dimitri had no idea how long they stood there, only knew just how lovely Byleth looked. He seemed almost like a god like this, a beautiful deity glowing golden in the silhouette of the setting sun.

“Truly beautiful, isn’t it?” Byleth said softly, eyes still roaming the landscape before them. 

“Yes,” Dimitri agreed, though he wasn’t talking about the view.

“Thank you for bringing me here and sharing this with me, Dimitri,” Byleth said, turning to him. 

“No, Professor, thank  _ you  _ for all that you do for me and my classmates. My life would not be the same without you,” Dimitri said sincerely. 

Byleth smiled Dimitri’s favorite little smile. “You are too kind, my prince.”

Normally, Dimitri hated when those he was close to referred to him with honorifics, but he found his cheeks heating up when Byleth did so. Especially that specific honorific.  _ My prince.  _ Like Dimitri was  _ his _ , and no one else’s.

“But come now, we should head back before it gets too dark,” Byleth said, snapping Dimitri from his thoughts as he turned Ember around. “Hmm. Why don’t you show me how you and Iris have bonded? I’ll race you back. Winner owes the loser a box of tea.”

Dimitri grinned, a competitive spark lighting in this chest . He was eager to show Byleth what he had learned. “You’re on, Professor.”

\---

“Thank you, girl, you were so great,” Dimitri praised Iris, patting her affectionately as Byleth rode back into the stables behind them. His hair was windswept from the race, but he didn’t care; he’d won. 

Dimitri turned and flashed a bright smile at his professor, whose look of approval sparkled in his eyes. Dimitri loved that look— loved when Byleth was proud of him. “I guess you owe me a box of tea, Professor.”

“I guess I do. Good work Dimitri, Iris,” Byleth said with a nod, both Dimitri and Iris glowing from the professor’s praise. He hopped off Ember, picking out an apple from his satchel to give to both horses. “Thank you for such a lovely afternoon, Dimitri.”

With a sudden wave of sadness, Dimitri realized their time together was coming to an end. “Oh. Of course, Professor. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

Byleth looked up at him and tilted his head. “You must be tired after such a long day. Would you like to join me in the bathhouse?”

Bathhouse? With Byleth? Dimitri had seen glances of his professor’s body, sometimes when they trained and Byleth shed his usual armor from the heat. Or when Byleth went to the sauna and he was lucky enough to have been in there already, or even luckier if Byleth asked him to join. He’d tried hard not to watch the sweat roll down his professor’s milky skin, over his taut muscles — tried not to glance at the silver scars streaking parts of his body so he wouldn’t be tempted to ask how Byleth had gotten them, and risk coming off as inappropriate.

But the bathhouse? Byleth would be completely naked. Dimitri didn’t know if he could survive it.

“Dimitri?” Byleth’s voice snapped him from his thoughts. 

“O-oh, I—um, I wouldn’t want to uh— I do not want to intrude, Professor,” Dimitri said, grateful that it was dark, because he knew he was blushing.

“Nonsense, I wouldn’t invite you if I thought you to be intruding,” Byleth assured him. Dimitri was silent for a beat too long and Byleth’s lower lip jutted out ever so slightly. Was Byleth...pouting? Oh,  _ Goddess _ , this adorable man would be the death of him. “But if you have dinner plans, that’s completely fine—“

“No!” Dimitri all but yelled, even seeming to startle Byleth a little, and definitely startling his horse. He hopped off Iris and bowed. “I-I mean, no, I do not have other plans. I am honored you would invite me and will join you in the bathhouse.”

Byleth let out a little laugh. “No need to be so formal,  _ Your Highness _ ,” he teased as they handed their horses over to the stable keepers. “I have to grab a few things from my office, but I’ll meet you at the bathhouse in twenty minutes. Is that alright?”

“Yes, I will see you in twenty minutes, Professor.”

“Lovely. See you,” Byleth said, heading off towards his office.

Dimitri let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. Goddess give him the strength to get through this without losing his mind.

Dimitri headed back to his own room, filled with emotions. Pride was one of them, as he knew for a fact that no other student had ever been asked to join their professor in the bathhouse, and Dimitri hadn’t been lying when he said that he was honored to have been invited. Excitement was another; he loved spending time with Byleth, no matter what they were doing. And confusion was definitely on the table, because he had no idea what this meant or if it even meant anything at all. Dimitri knew that he was important to Byleth, but he knew that perhaps he was being too hopeful that his professor would look at him the same way. 

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts as he shed his blue cape and sword, and unclasped his gauntlets and leg armor. Even still fully clothed, he still felt vulnerable about what he and Byleth were going to do in a few short minutes — and he would actually be naked then. 

He patted his cheeks and took a breath, trying to psyche himself up. It was just a damn bath! He’d taken many baths in his life before, and many baths in the bathhouse with other men. But Byleth was different, he wasn’t just any man — he was the man Dimitri loved.

Dimitri hurriedly gathered a fresh change of clothes and his towel before closing his door behind him. He would be late meeting the professor at this rate and he would hate to let Byleth down with something as trivial as being unpunctual.

There was no sign of the professor outside the bathhouse, so Dimitri figured he probably already went inside. But Byleth wasn’t in the apodyterium either, which Dimitri was a little grateful for— he wasn’t sure he would be able to completely undress in front of Byleth anyway. He recognized Byleth’s clothes, neatly folded, in one of the cubbies but didn’t look like there was anyone else in the bath right now. He was grateful for that. Dimitri shed the rest of his clothing, wrapping the small towel he brought around his waist as he steeled himself, and pushed open the door to the thermae.

He was immediately greeted with warm steam from the bath, and a smoky sweet, fresh scent with hints of apple that he immediately recognized. 

Byleth was already in the bath, the water a light, milky gold. His head was tilted back a bit, his eyes closed, and hair was wet and slicked back, and his torso was visible from where he sat in the pool. Dimitri let his eyes wander for just a moment, drinking in the beautiful sight of his professor’s broad shoulders and lean muscles, noticing a silver scar over his heart. 

Byleth looked up and Dimitri immediately met his eyes as though he hadn't just been thinking about what it would feel like to run his hands over his professor’s hard chest. “Ah, my apologies, Dimitri, I know I said twenty minutes, but I arrived early because I want to set this up,” he said, running his fingers through the water. “I had to grab it from my office. Annette gifted me a set of what she calls a ‘bath bomb’ that she purchased from the market in town, and I thought it would be nice to use one this evening. It’s—”

“Chamomile,” Dimitri said, feeling his face go warm, but not from the heat of the bath. “My favorite.”

The professor smiled. “Yes, of course. I thought it would help you relax.”

“Professor, this was so very thoughtful of you,” Dimitri said earnestly, feeling his chest bloom with nothing but love and appreciation for the man before him. “Thank you so much.”

“Thank you for all of your hard work in my class and on the battlefield, and for sharing your late afternoon and evening with me,” Byleth said. “Now come, wash up and join me.”

“Yes, give me a moment, Professor,” Dimitri said, happy to obey as he carefully walked to where the small showers were.

He quickly rinsed his hair and wiped down his body with soap, glancing back at his very thoughtful professor. Byleth had his back turned, humming quietly to himself. He probably realizing that Dimitri was a little shy, to which Dimitri was thankful for. 

“What’s that song, Professor?” Dimitri asked. 

“What song?”

Dimitri finished up and padded over to the pool, sliding in quickly. “The one you were humming just now. Was it a hymn you learned from choir practice?” 

“Oh,” Byleth said, blinking a few times. He didn’t even seem to realize he had been humming. “I’m...not sure actually. I don’t know the words to it. It just sounds familiar to me. I want to say my mother used to sing it to me, but she died when I was born, so I don’t think that was it.”

“I’m sorry for prying, Professor,” Dimitri said immediately, running a hand through his hair and wanting to disappear. “I know you don’t remember much of your past, and I apologize if I brought up something painful.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Byleth assured him. “We’re friends. It makes sense to ask questions about me, though I do wish I could give you more comprehensive answers.”

“We’re...friends?” Dimitri asked stupidly, to which Byleth let out a little laugh.

“Yes, of course we’re friends, Dimitri. I’m your teacher, yes, but I also consider you one of my friends. I hope you consider me one as well.”

“O-of course I do,” Dimitri said immediately, wondering why he had even questioned it in the first place. Every week they had tea together—if they weren’t friends, they definitely wouldn’t be doing that. “You are my dearest friend and mentor, Professor.”

“You are my dearest friend as well, Dimitri,” Byleth said, after a beat, absently running his fingers through the water. “I’ll admit, I have never thought that of anyone. There are no room for friends when you’re a mercenary. My father and I are close, but of course, he’s family. However, after coming here to the monastery, and having friends for the first time in my life, I can quite confidently say that you are my closest and most dearest.”

Dimitri’s heart soared. The professor was usually a man of few words, but Dimitri would remember these forever, recite them over and over in his mind. He felt so overwhelmed; today was one of the best days of his life. “That means the world to me, Professor.”

“So since we’re friends, you don’t have to always address me by title, you know,” Byleth said with a small smile, Dimitri’s favorite smile. 

“I don’t know if I could do that,” Dimitri admitted. 

“Don’t you request that your friends not address you as ‘your highness’ or ‘your majesty’? I do at times, I suppose, but it is merely in jest.”

“Yes, I know. And yes, we are friends, but you are still my teacher and I would feel disrespectful addressing you otherwise,” Dimitri explained. 

“Hmm,” Byleth said, tapping his nose in thought. “You’re right, I suppose it might be strange to your classmates. Let us compromise then. How about when it is just the two of us? It would make me happy for you to use my name.” 

It would make him  _ happy _ ? How could Dimitri ever refuse something that would make Byleth happy? Dimitri flushed, hoping that he could pass it off as from the heat of the bath. “I, um, I—could try that. Byleth.”

Byleth’s smile grazed his eyes and Dimitri’s heart filled with warmth. He would pull down the moon for that smile. “I believe that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say my name. I quite like how it sounds in your voice.”

Dimitri nearly melted into the pool at the professor’s words. He ran a hand through his hair to try to hide his blush. 

Byleth laughed again, Dimitri’s favorite sound in the world. He gently splashed some water in Dimitri’s direction. “You are so easy to tease, my prince.”

Dimitri rolled his eyes playfully, letting out a huff.  _ My prince.  _ “I never would have thought you to be a jester.”

“Oh? I actually think I’m quite hilarious,” Byleth said in his usual deadpan, and it was Dimitri’s turn to laugh and splash some water at him. “See?” 

Dimitri laughed, shaking his head affectionately. “The most humorous man I know,” Dimitri teased. He paused for a moment before speaking next. “Profess—Byleth, may I ask you something?”

Byleth nodded. “Of course. Speak freely. What’s on your mind?”

“Your scar,” Dimitri asked, tracing the shape of it on his own chest. “I noticed it earlier. Was it from a wound from when you were a mercenary? How did you...survive a wound like that to your heart?”

Byleth gently touched the scar, seeming as though he had forgotten it was there. “Oh. I’ve always had this scar, I think,” he replied. “I don’t know where I received it. I always just assumed it happened at some point during my time as a mercenary.”

“Ah, and you don’t remember those times very well, do you?”

Byleth shook his head. “Unfortunately, I don’t remember much of my life before coming to Garreg Mach. The days were more or less the same, day in and day out. Perhaps it is a good thing my memory of that time is lost, though I wish I had more answers to your questions. I just hope I’m not boring you.”

“You could never,” Dimitri promised, sincere.

“You noticed this scar, hm?” Byleth mused, his long fingers grazing it but his eyes on Dimitri. Byleth’s expression was perfectly neutral. “What else do you notice about me, Dimitri?”

Dimitri huffed, feeling warm. “ _ Byleth _ , please stop teasing me,” Dimitri said quietly, to which Byleth laughed immediately. “You’re so flustering!”

“And you are easily flustered. But alright, my apologies,” Byleth said, stifling his laughter.

_Oh, what a beautiful sound. I could listen to you laugh all night, Professor_ , Dimitri thought dreamily, not even minding the teasing if it made Byleth laugh even a little. 

“Oh,” Byleth said, clearing his throat. He turned his gaze away for a moment, blinking a bit. Dimitri swore there was a bit of pink dusting his cheeks when he said, “I suppose it’s my turn to be flustered.”

Dimitri paled when he realized what had happened. Oh,  _ Goddess _ . He said the in-his-head thing out loud! And why the hell was Byleth so cute when he blushed? It shouldn’t be legal. He held his hands up, waving them. “O-oh—no, no, I-I’m sorry, that was extremely—“

When Byleth looked back up, he chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s alright, I deserved that from how cruelly I was teasing you. You can be quite flustering as well,” he said waving it off. Dimitri wanted to sink into the water and never come up. He thanked the Goddess that Byleth thought he’d been teasing. 

Byleth moved a bit closer to him, placing the back of his hand gently on Dimitri’s forehead. They were so close that Dimitri could see the flecks of gold glimmering in Byleth’s eyes.

“Hmm. Are you alright? You’re turning red,” Byleth noted. Dimitri half-wondered if Byleth was just teasing again, but his mind short circuited when Byleth touched him and he couldn’t think about anything else besides the man in front of him.

Byleth’s hand felt hot on his skin. “O-oh, the heat is probably getting to me,” Dimitri said quickly, moving back a bit, away from Byleth’s touch. 

“Oh, my apologies for keeping you. Let’s leave before you feel sick,” Byleth said, turning to hoist himself up out of the bath. Dimitri immediately turned his eyes away to avoid seeing something he shouldn’t, Byleth padding over to grab his towel. Dimitri waited a few moments, listening to the rustle of fabric, not knowing what to do.

He risked peeking up and Byleth had mostly dried off, wrapping his towel loosely around his waist. His body was all lean muscle, flecked with silver scars from slashes and arrow wounds over the years. Despite being in a bath, Dimitri felt his mouth dry up as his eyes hungrily drank in the sight of a taut V line, and he felt his gaze starting to follow that line beneath his professor’s towel—

“Dimitri?”

Dimitri’s eyes flicked back up to Byleth’s face, which bore his usual unreadable expression. He prayed to the Goddess that Byleth hadn’t seen him ogling.

“O-oh, yes—coming, sorry,” Dimitri said, running a hand through his hair.

Byleth chuckled. “If you’re shy, I’ll wait in the apodyterium for you.”

“S-sure, that would be great, Profe—Byleth.”

“Alright. Be out soon, I won’t have you fainting in here.”

“I will,” he said and started to lift himself out of the bath as Byleth headed out to change. The moment the door closed, Dimitri pulled himself out of the bath and quickly ran to the shower, blasting cold water onto himself to calm himself down.

He was half hard just from Byleth’s touch on his forehead and seeing Byleth in a towel. He shut off the water and quickly wiped himself down, trying to think of unsexy things —  _ wyverns, choir practice, Sylvain in a dress  _ — before wrapping himself up and heading out to meet his professor. 

Dimitri noticed that Byleth’s clothes were missing, so he assumed the professor had just gotten dressed and was waiting for him outside. Dimitri also quickly dressed, hurrying to meet Byleth.

Byleth was in his lounge gear, in a tight blue shirt and shorts over deep navy leggings. He had thrown his overcoat atop his shoulders, which Dimitri was a bit grateful for. Dimitri did like seeing Byleth in blue though. 

“Feeling better?” Byleth asked as they headed back to their rooms.

“Yes, thank you,” Dimitri said. 

“Good. I hope you had a chance to relax this evening.”

“Yes, I believe I did,” Dimitri answered truthfully. He felt more refreshed than he had felt in a while — especially after that cold shower.

“Perhaps we can do this again sometime?”

_ More  _ time with his professor? Dimitri nodded. “I would like that very much, Byleth.”

“As would I,” Byleth agreed, as they reached his room. “Well, I must work on my lesson plan for tomorrow, so I have to retire for the night. I had a wonderful time today, Dimitri.”

“I did as well,” he said, nodding. “Thank you for your thoughtfulness, and for spending so much of your precious free time with me.”

“I always enjoy our time together. Get some rest,” Byleth said, and he nodded again, raising a hand to wave as Byleth closed the door to his room. 

As soon as the door clicked shut, Dimitri immediately turned on his heel and hurried up to the second floor. He shut the door to his room behind him and twisted the lock so hard, for a moment he worried if he had broken it. 

He would think about that later. He crawled onto his bed, peeling his leggings off, then his shorts and undergarments, freeing his cock. He turned over onto all fours and dug around in his nightstand, popping open a phial of oil.

Still on his hands and knees, he shut his eyes and raised his hips, lowering his chest to the mattress. He recalled the memory of Byleth in a towel, all hard lines and muscles and calluses, thought of those callused hands touching every inch of his body, grabbing hard enough to leave purple bruises on Dimitri’s pale skin. His thick cock stiffened at just the thought. 

“Professor,” Dimitri moaned quietly into his pillow as he coated his hand and cock with oil, giving himself a rough stroke. 

He wanted Byleth to take him, to render his beastly strength useless, to make love to him. He ran his thumb around the head of his cock, just the way he liked it, and sank his teeth into his pillow. The professor would touch him like that, he would know exactly how to make Dimitri putty in his hands, whispering quiet praises into his ear.

Dimitri turned over, propping himself up on a few pillows; he would want to see Byleth’s face when they fucked, want to kiss him. Byleth’s lips would be soft, peppering kisses on Dimitri’s neck as he spread Dimitri’s legs. He laid back, pumping his fist over his slicked cock, letting out breathy moans in the shape of Byleth’s title. 

Oh, how he imagined Byleth having had hoisted him from that pool of chamomile and fucking him right there in the bathhouse, claiming him in such a public space, where anyone could have walked in and seen them. Dimitri wouldn’t have kept quiet then, he would’ve cried out and screamed his professor’s name. Let everyone know that the professor was his and his alone. 

He thought of Byleth’s hands, callused, yes, but slender and dexterous, touching him in all his sensitive spots; of Byleth’s lips, soft and pink, showering him in kisses, in attention that he so desperately craved. He tightened his grip and sped up his pace, canting his hips up into his fist as he chased his release, all the while imagining his beautiful professor’s blushing face.

“P-Professor, ah, I’m cumming—ah—Byleth!” Dimitri choked out, his orgasm so intense he saw stars as he shot ribbons of cum over his hand and lounge shirt. His breaths came out in heaves as he came back to reality from his ecstasy and he was immediately overcome with a wave of guilt. 

Byleth has  _ just _ called Dimitri his most dearest friend and Dimitri immediately disrespected that friendship with such a selfish act. If the professor were to ever find out that Dimitri did such a thing — Dimitri didn’t even want to think about what Byleth would think of him. Their friendship would probably be over and Dimitri would never forgive himself. He laid his clean hand over his eyes and choked a sob for tears that would not come. He didn’t want to lose Byleth. Not him, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to think the song Byleth is humming is The Edge of Dawn.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Byleth and Claude hang out, and Dimitri gets possessive.

Classes the next day went by smoothly; Byleth’s classes usually did. He did end up slamming a book on the table nonchalantly to startle a napping Sylvain, to which most of the class giggled at. 

A few students stayed after class to ask Byleth about changing their goals or to ask for Byleth’s advice. Dimitri was usually the last to leave the classroom, and today was no exception. Byleth noticed him and gathered his things; they often chatted after class for a bit before Byleth had to go off to meetings or whatever duty he was assigned to that day.

“Heading to the training grounds?” Byleth asked as he caught up with Dimitri. The two began leaving the classroom together, as they usually did, Dimitri with two apples in hand. He handed one to Byleth, who immediately took a bite. 

Dimitri nodded. “Yes, I was thinking of sparring today. I want to practice some of those techniques you taught us the other day. Are you free to join me, Professor?” 

“It’s just us,” Byleth reminded him.

“Oh.” Dimitri cleared his throat but lowered his volume a bit. “Are you free to join me, Byleth?”

Byleth chuckled. “Unfortunately, I can’t today. I just wanted to see if you would call me by name in the courtyard, with your classmates all around.”

“ _ Professor _ ,” Dimitri sighed, not at all upset.  _ Let them hear _ , he thought to himself with an uncharacteristic boldness. Possessiveness. 

“Sorry, sorry. I’m sure no one heard, though,” Byleth said with a playful hint in his voice, putting a hand on Dimitri’s shoulder. “I have a prior arrangement that I should be getting to soon,” he added. “I do still owe you a box of tea though, and I’d love to share some with you sometime this week before our scheduled tea time on Sunday, if that’s amenable to you.”

Dimitri lit up. “Yes, I would love that—”

“Yo, Teach,” greeted a voice, and a black sleeve slung over Byleth’s shoulder, Dimitri recognizing that voice as Claude’s. “Hey, Your Highness.”

Dimitri immediately felt a spark of annoyance ignite in his chest. This was  _ his  _ time with Byleth. Why wasn’t Byleth moving Claude’s arm? Who did Claude think he was—touching the professor so casually like that? 

“Claude,” Byleth greeted, his lips tilted up in a smile. Dimitri’s jaw clenched. No.  _ No _ . That was  _ his  _ favorite smile. 

He grinned, flashing a smile at the Professor and tossing in a wink. “Ready to go flying? I’ll show you all the cool spots in the towers!”

“Yes, let’s do that,” Byleth agreed, Claude’s arm still around him. “Dimitri, I’ll reconvene with you tomorrow after class.”

“Sure, Professor,” Dimitri heard himself say with a smile he hoped didn’t look like a scowl. He didn’t even get to schedule his extra tea time with Byleth. “Have fun, you two.”

But Claude was already whisking Byleth away, chattering away about how his classes had gone today. Byleth hadn’t even asked. Dimitri watched them leave, more annoyed than he’d been in a long time. How dare he—how  _ dare  _ Claude interrupt their time together like that? 

No one knew Byleth like Dimitri did. No one appreciated Byleth the way he did. No one knew all the little nuances that made him so beautiful, so ethereal, so charming and smart and strong. Therefore, no one else should be allowed to see the way his lips turn up in a smile, or hear the way his laughter sounds, or be able to even  _ touch _ him—

“...Your Highness,” said a voice and Dimitri snapped back to reality, blinking a few times.

“Oh, Dedue, hello,” he said, smiling his practiced princely smile. 

“Is everything...alright?” Dedue asked cautiously, the concern in his eyes clear as day. 

“Yes, why wouldn’t it be?” Dimitri asked.

Dedue glanced down and Dimitri looked down to see that he had crushed his apple in his fist, it’s juices leaking down his glove. 

“O-oh, it must have been spoiled,” Dimitri said, dropping the apple onto the grass. He hoped no one else had seen him do that. He flicked off the apple juices and smiled sheepishly. Dedue glanced backwards, to where Byleth and Claude had left, and then back to Dimitri. He gave the prince a knowing look. 

“I did not realize that you were on a first name basis with the professor,” Dedue said and Dimitri felt his breath catch. When he’d thought about wanting people to hear, he hadn’t actually thought about what would happen if someone did. 

“Oh, you heard that? Um, it is a mere jest between the two of us,” Dimitri tried, but Dedue knew him too well. He let out a sharp breath. “Can we speak of this later, Dedue? I promise I will confide in you, but I—” Dimitri let out another breath, looking to where the professor had left, then to Dedue. He sighed. “I just want to do something else for a moment.”

“Of course, Your Highness, I understand,” Dedue said with a nod, not needing any more explanation. “I will spar with you today, if you would like.”

Dimitri nodded, really needing this. “Thank you, my friend. Let’s do that.”

—

Dimitri spent the entire day at the training grounds, crossing blades with Dedue. Though they were using training weapons, Dimitri had requested Dedue go all out, and Dimitri felt the consequences of his request thrumming in his bones and aching in his muscles. It was a good ache though. Less painful than the one in his heart when he thought about the professor and Claude.

Dedue hadn’t pressed any further about any thoughts he had, for which Dimitri was grateful. He was sure that Dedue could already infer how Dimitri felt about the professor and Dimitri didn’t particularly feel like saying those things out loud to anyone right now. It was hard enough to have to admit his feelings to himself, let alone speak them into the world.

Dimitri managed to snatch up the leftovers of some sautéed jerky on the way back to his room. He was just about to retire for the night, perhaps go to the bathhouse and wash off all the sticky sweat from today’s training, but before he could, he noticed two wyverns touch down in the courtyard in front of the dorms. 

Dimitri was suddenly in a foul mood all over again. Had Byleth and Claude flown together  _ all day _ ?

He should have just gone into his room. He should have left it, but he  _ couldn’t _ . He crept down the hall and made sure he wasn’t visible from the first floor, peering through a window. He could barely hear them.

“I’m surprised you could keep up with me, Teach,” he heard Claude say as he hopped off his wyvern. “Takes a lotta stamina to ride for so long; I’m impressed! I didn’t think you rode wyverns very often. 

“I don’t, which is probably why it was fun,” Byleth said. His hair looked windswept, but it was dark and Dimitri could barely see their faces through the glass. 

“Well, I’m honored you enjoyed our time together,” Claude said, holding a hand up to Byleth to help him off the saddle. Byleth took it and hopped down, but Claude didn’t let go of his hand. Instead, he bowed slightly, raising Byleth’s knuckles to his lips, pressing a light kiss to the professor’s leather gloves.

Dimitri’s vision flashed with white hot rage and it took all his restraint not to kick down the stone wall and rip Claude off Byleth. 

Dimitri couldn’t see Byleth’s expression, but he didn’t wait around to find out. He swept back to his room immediately, being sure to stay in the shadows to avoid being seen.

He slammed the door to his room and then crushed his fist into his desk, taking off a chunk of the wood in the process. He could care less. He unclasped his blue cape and tossed it to the ground. 

How dare Claude—how dare his lips touch the professor, how dare he kiss his hand like that in front of Dimitri—?  _ No _ . No, no one understood that the professor was Dimitri’s and his alone.

He climbed onto his bed and fumbled with the buttons on his trousers, yanking them down til they caught on his leg armor as he lifted his uniform shirt up to expose his hard cock.

He poured oil on his gloved hand and began stroking himself, the way he’d make Byleth touch him with gloved hands at first. Dimitri would throw the Professor up against the wall and kiss his soft lips relentlessly, making them kiss-swollen. He’d steal the breath from his lungs so that the only breaths Byleth would take would be in the form of Dimitri’s name.

Dimitri would bite and suck at the sensitive flesh on Byleth’s neck, making the professor whine and moan as Dimitri left marks on his territory. 

In the darkness of his room, Dimitri slowed his hand a bit, rubbing his thumb around and around the head and let out a quiet groan. He was sticky with dried sweat and some of the oil had spilled on his bed and was getting over his clothes but he didn’t care. He would take Byleth messy and rough, too.

He would tear off the professor’s clothing with reckless abandon, tossing him onto his bed and covering his body in kisses, bites and marks. He would spread Byleth’s pale legs and be between them in an instant, sucking and licking at the sensitive flesh on his inner thighs, leaving dark bruises there as well.

Byleth would tangle his slender fingers in Dimitri’s hair as Dimitri parted his lips to take Byleth’s cock in his mouth. Byleth would moan as Dimitri sucked hard on the head of his cock, lapping up the dribble of precum before swallowing the professor’s cock as far back in his throat as possible. He’d press open Byleth’s leg with one hand and use the other to fondle his balls, relishing in the professor’s delicious moans.

“Dimitri—ah, ahhhh— _ y-yes _ , please,” Byleth would beg, when Dimitri’s oiled finger would circle his hole, tugging at Dimitri’s blonde hair.

Dimitri tore off his glove to oil his hand and got back to stroking himself as he thought of pushing his fingers into Byleth’s hole, working Byleth open as the professor fucked into his mouth. He would push a second finger in and he imagined Byleth’s breathy cry as he scissored him open. 

When Dimitri would press against that bundle of nerves inside Byleth, he’d tear a scream from the professor’s throat, and continue to massage that same spot. Byleth would pant Dimitri’s name, loud and wanting, for everyone in the dormitory to hear. Three fingers in, mouth on Byleth’s cock, Dimitri would make the professor come undone, and unload his seed into Dimitri’s throat. He’d swallow it all, every last drop, as Byleth came down from his orgasm.

But it wouldn’t be enough. No. Dimitri would want to pleasure Byleth so thoroughly that he’d never even want to look at anyone else ever again. He’d remove his fingers, and Byleth would whine but he’d kiss it away, giving Byleth a taste of himself. Dimitri would have Byleth oil his cock up before flipping the professor over onto all fours and pushing his chest down to the mattress. He would raise Byleth’s hips so that his ass would be on full display for him and only him.

Dimitri pumped himself harder as he imagined Byleth’s hole, loosened up and ready for his cock. He imagined he would bite and kiss at the plump flesh of his professor’s ass and thighs, allowing him only a moment of respite before plunging his throbbing cock into Byleth until he bottomed out.

“Ahhhh—y-yes,  _ Dimitri _ —I-I’m so full,  _ my prince _ ,” Byleth would moan loudly.

_ Good _ , Dimitri thought, imaging the sound of his professor’s voice echoing in his room, reverberating through the dorms.  _ Scream my name. Let your voice out. Let everyone know that you’re mine. _

He would grip Byleth’s hips with a force strong enough to bruise, and fuck him at a brutal pace, slamming into his prostate with each thrust. Byleth would be hard again in no time, but Dimitri wouldn’t touch his professor’s cock anymore, he’d raise him higher off the mattress so that Byleth couldn’t grind into the bed for friction. He would make Byleth come a second time, untouched. 

Dimitri imagined how tight Byleth’s hole would be, even after being stretched, how he’d squeeze and suck in Dimitri’s cock hungrily, push his hips back in time with Dimitri’s thrusts, loving how thoroughly Dimitri fucked him. Dimitri was close, he could feel his stomach tightening and his orgasm approaching and he thrust up into his hand desperately, imagining it was his beautiful, wrecked professor beneath him. He chased his release and came hard, clenching his teeth as he groaned through his orgasm, spilling his seed onto his hand and over his uniform.

He was breathing hard as he wiped his clean hand over his face, squeezing his temples. He shouldn’t have done it again, he shouldn’t have touched himself thinking of Byleth the same way he shouldn’t have looked out the window and seen that stupid kiss. He wiped his hand on his soiled clothes and unbuttoned his uniform, taking off all his armor as well. He threw on his lounge wear and tossed the crumpled uniform in the corner of his room. He headed to the bathhouse, needing to scrub his sinful self clean.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Byleth tries on the Dancer outfit, and Dimitri wants to dance.

Dimitri had seen the professor the day after his wyvern ride with Claude, just as he had promised, and they shared tea together that afternoon. He had asked how it went through what he hoped weren’t gritted teeth, to which Byleth replied with, “Fun,” and Dimitri didn’t press any further. He didn’t want to know anyway.

Dimitri was still annoyed at Claude, but he behaved perfectly amicably, as any noble would. He had years of practice burying his rage beneath practiced smiles and this was no different. The only person he was more annoyed at was himself; whether he wanted to or not, he touched himself every night, fantasizing about his wonderful, beautiful professor. He hung on to every smile, every laugh, every word his dearest friend said, and every night, pleasured himself to the thought of fucking or being fucked by said dearest friend. He always felt so guilty afterwards.

What he walked in on that Sunday definitely didn’t help. Byleth was standing in his office, his arms out in a T, as Mercedes was fitting some kind of flowy outfit around him, fastening pins. The top was low cut, and had short sleeves, exposing Byleth’s collarbone and lean arms. The robe over it was adorned with leather belts and silver jewelry, with a high slit on the right, showing off the professor’s long legs and his thigh. And that  _ choker _ . Dimitri felt his soul leave his body.

“I-I—um, I’m sorry if I’m interrupting, I’ll come back later—” Dimitri started, immediately turning on his heels.

“Oh, no, Your Highness, I’m almost done,” Mercedes called out. “I’m sorry for keeping you Professor, it’s just—”

“No problem at all, Mercedes,” Byleth assured her. Dimitri couldn’t help himself. His eyes moved up and down the professor’s body, landing back on his face. The professor was already looking at him, though, having watched Dimitri ogle him. Dimitri felt color come to his face and immediately turned his eyes away.

“I’m just working on two different outfits for our potential Dancer,” Mercedes explained to Dimitri. “I’ve asked Annie to help me fit the female one, but none of the boys want to help me with the male one, so I’ve asked the professor to help me fit it.”

“W-why exactly do we need a male one?” Dimitri managed to say, hoping that it didn’t sound like a squeak.

“Sylvain expressed some interest in participating in the contest,” Byleth explained. “I just want to be prepared.”

“And I love to work on new sewing projects in my free time. There,” Mercedes said, pinning the last piece of fabric on. “Sylvain is taller than you, Professor, but I think this would still fit him well if he were to enter the contest and win.”

Byleth spun around to look at the outfit in the mirror but Dimitri was the one that felt dizzy. The outfit was loose and showed a lot of skin. 

“Sylvain is taller than me, so it will be a little small on him but I actually think he might like a more revealing outfit,” Byleth said, tilting his head as he fiddled with the collar of his shirt. Dimitri could have sworn to the Goddess that Byleth’s eyes flicked to him for a second as his fingers grazed his choker. Dimitri swallowed hard.

Mercedes giggled. “Oh, I agree,” she said with a nod. “Thank you for your help, Professor. I apologize for taking so much of your time.”

“Nothing to apologize for. Let me change out of this and give it back to you, so you may get back to sewing. Dimitri, I’ll be right with you,” Byleth told her, and Mercedes and Dimitri bowed, leaving Byleth’s office to give him privacy to change.

“The professor is so handsome, isn’t he?” Mercedes giggled quietly to Dimitri as they waited slightly down the hall from Byleth’s office. 

“I-I don’t know, I wouldn’t know. I have not looked,” Dimitri said stiffly, shaking his head.

If Mercedes noticed the awkwardness in his voice, she was kind enough to ignore it. “Oh, whichever man the professor chooses to spend his life with would surely be so lucky,” she sighed, and Dimitri squinted his eyes at her.

“...Man?”

Mercedes tilted her head, puzzled. “Why, yes. Call it a woman’s intuition, but I don’t think the professor is very attracted to women. I mean, Professor Casagranda flirts with him all the time and he’s barely batted an eyelash at her.”

“Yes, but Professor Casagranda flirts with everyone,” Dimitri reasoned. 

“Well, what about Claude?” Mercedes said, tapping her chin. “He and the professor are quite close and I see them flirting all the time. It’s so cute!”

Dimitri swallowed the bile that threatened to rise out of his throat. He did not, in fact, know that Byleth and Claude were very close. Nor had he seen them ‘flirting all the time’. What did Byleth  _ flirting  _ even look like? “Mercedes. He is our teacher and it’s inappropriate to be speculating about his romantic life, especially one involving a fellow student of the same gender.”

“Oh, you’re right, my apologies,” Mercedes agreed. “It’s just, you know how it is being a noble; everyone is at least a little concerned with marriage and our romantic prospects, especially those of us with Crests. Even though the professor isn’t a noble, he does have a rare Crest, and I’m sure he’s at least thought about it since being here. It was just fun thinking about, since it seems like everyone, noble or not, would jump at the opportunity to court him.”

“Not me,” Dimitri lied. “I would never subject our professor to something like courting him—”

“Thank you for waiting,” Dimitri heard Byleth say and nearly jumped ten feet in the air. Byleth was dressed in his usual armor and overcoat, and handed a neatly folded pile of clothes to Mercedes. “Here you are. I hope I was able to assist you.”

“Oh, yes, you were a wonderful help, Professor, thank you,” Mercedes said, taking the clothes from Byleth. She bowed politely at the two of them. “See you, Professor, Your Highness.”

Byleth turned to Dimitri and smiled slightly. Dimitri wondered if Byleth had heard him. If he had, he didn’t say anything, though Dimitri didn’t think it would matter anyway. Courting Byleth was out of the question, no matter how Dimitri felt about him.

“Shall we have tea?” Byleth asked, and Dimitri nodded, following him out to his private garden. They passed by a few other students chatting about the White Heron Cup and all the dancing that would occur, as well as the competition. Dimitri knew that Byleth, being a professor, wouldn’t be able to enter the competition, and Dimitri thanked the Goddess for that; if Byleth was wearing that outfit on the battlefield, Dimitri would surely meet his early demise.

“Are you feeling alright?” he heard Byleth ask, and snapped back to reality. 

“O-oh, yes, sorry,” Dimitri said, offering Byleth a smile. “What were you saying?”

“Oh, I just wanted to speak to you about the White Heron Cup coming up,” Byleth said as he poured their usual Sunday tea. Dimitri hadn’t even realized that they’d sat down and made tea; he was still thinking about that stupid Dancer outfit. 

Dimitri paled. “You’re not...thinking of entering me, right? Please, I don’t want to compete in the competition, and t-that outfit, is—”

Byleth held up a hand. “No, no, of course not. I was wondering what you thought about our house submitting Flayn versus Sylvain,” Byleth said, and Dimitri let out a sigh of relief.

“May I speak freely, Professor?”

“Byleth. But yes. Always.”

“Right, Byleth,” Dimitri corrected. “I think Flayn would be the optimal choice to compete in the White Heron Cup competition. Flayn is charming, and sweet and her victory would mean her further integration in our house, which I believe is much needed for her morale. It is nothing against Sylvain, of course, if he really wants to enter; it’s just that I believe that Sylvain can be quite the knight when he wants to be, and is an amazing cavalry leader for his battalion. For him to change specialties now would be detrimental to his efforts thus far and to our overall strength as a house.”

“I agree completely,” Byleth said with a nod as though Dimitri had just passed a test. “I just wanted to make sure our visions aligned.”

“You oversee our house; the choice would have always been yours.”

“Yes, but you are the house leader,” Byleth reminded him. “Any big decision like that, I prefer to run by you as well. We are friends and we are teammates, and in battle, there is no room for mistakes. I’m glad we see eye to eye on this issue. I’ll be sure to let Flayn know that I will be happy to nominate her as our house’s dancer.”

“I appreciate that,” Dimitri said with a nod. “Will, um, you be attending the dance?”

“Well, yes, as a professor, I am required to attend. Professor Casagranda has already commissioned evening wear for me. I hope to stand on the sidelines and just observe,” Byleth said, taking a bite from a scone. He had eaten three already.

“You don’t know how to dance,” Dimitri realized.

“I’m afraid dancing wasn’t something I much needed while I was a mercenary,” Byleth confirmed, chuckling slightly. “But I will have to attend dance training with Flayn, so I am sure that I will learn a little. I assume you already know how to dance, though, my prince.”

“Y-yes,” Dimitri said, faltering at  _ my prince _ . “Edelgard taught me, when we were children. I was not very good, and still am not. But it is a good thing to learn; I am more than positive that you will be asked to dance many times, by students and faculty alike.”

“Really? I think you believe me to be more popular than I actually am,” Byleth said with a small chuckle. 

“On the contrary, I do not think you know how popular you truly are,” Dimitri told him. “Everyone will be rushing to ask you to dance.”

“You flatter me,” Byleth said. He leaned forward a bit, resting his chin in his palm and quirking an eyebrow ever so slightly. “Will you be asking me to dance as well, Dimitri?”

“I-um,” Dimitri stumbled. He cleared his throat. “As your student and friend, I would be honored to have you dance with me, but if dancing makes you uncomfortable, I would, of course, respect that and not bother you. Would you...say yes if I asked you?”

“I suppose we’ll have to see, won’t we?” Byleth said, a glint in his eyes that Dimitri couldn’t quite put a finger on. 

Before Dimitri could ask what he meant, Byleth dropped it and began talking about something else, and the time to speak further on the subject was gone. Dimitri doesn’t really remember what they talked about, but he knows it had, of course, been a lovely time as usual. 

That night, and for a few nights afterwards, Dimitri touched himself to the memory of Byleth in the Dancer’s outfit. Flowing silks and chiffons would float around them as Byleth made love to him in one fantasy. In another, they would be at camp, and Byleth would steal Dimitri away and grind on him for a private show, before sucking him off and allowing Dimitri to cum on his pretty face. But Dimitri’s favorite fantasy was when he took everything off the professor’s body except that choker and fucked him on the desk in his office. 

Damn that stupid outfit.

\---

The night of the White Heron Cup, the entire monastery was bustling with giddy energy. Dimitri heard whispers and giggles gossip of who would ask who to dance before the competition.

Dimitri had only seen Byleth during class that day before he had to hurry off to finish preparations for the competition with Flayn. It was fine, though, Dimitri knew he would see Byleth later tonight. Besides, he needed to get ready also. As future Holy King of Faerghus, he knew that he would have to be respectful and dance with many ladies of high ranking noble houses; it was just the way things worked in the Kingdom, even if the only person he wanted to dance with was his professor. 

Nightfall came quickly, all the bubbly anticipation throughout Garreg Mach seeming to cause time to flow differently. The Blue Lions wanted to meet up and head to the dance together, so they waited in the courtyard outside their dormitories. They were all dressed to the nines in their formal evening wear, Dimitri the only one of them donning a blue cape, as the leader of the house. Everyone but Flayn, Mercedes, and Byleth were there.

“Has anyone seen the professor?” Ashe asked, glancing around.

“I think he and Mercedes were helping Flayn get dressed,” Annette said with a bright smile. 

As though on cue, Mercedes, Flayn and Byleth strolled into the courtyard, Byleth still adjusting one of his cufflinks. Everyone ooh’d and ah’d at Flayn’s new beautiful dress, the female version of what Dimitri had seen Byleth in the other day, and she blushed and spun around as everyone wanted to see her new outfit. 

But Dimitri’s eyes were just on Byleth. He looked stunning and sharp, dressed in perfectly fitted trousers with gold accents and calf-high boots with a chunky high heel, making his legs look long. His top was the same as everyone else’s, with a few more accents, and a grey cape over his shoulders, similar to his usual overcoat. His hands were gloveless, slender fingers decorated with a few simple gold rings. He was beautiful.

He greeted Dimitri with a silent wave, as Sylvain led the charge to the dance hall, all too ready to dance with any woman that breathed. Dimitri wanted to tell Byleth how lovely he looked, but he couldn’t, not in front of all his classmates, so he just stayed back and walked alongside Dedue.

“Will you be dancing with anyone special tonight, Your Highness?” Dedue asked quietly, knowingly.

“I do not believe I will get the chance to,” Dimitri answered honestly, watching as Annette and Ingrid both already politely asked Byleth if he would save a dance for them. He, of course, promised he would, and so Mercedes also joined in on their request. Dimitri returned his gaze to the ground as he followed behind his classmates. Dedue frowned.

The hall was lit beautifully in golden light, tables strewn throughout with food and glasses of sparkling cider and champagne. Sylvain was already pestering any woman with a pulse to see if they would dance with him. Felix was sulking in a corner, whether or not it was to avoid girls asking him to dance, or if it was because _Sylvain_ wasn’t asking him to dance, Dimitri couldn’t tell. Ashe was chatting on the sidelines with a rather stiff Dedue. Annette, and Ingrid were dancing with other students, laughing, talking, and enjoying themselves while Mercedes watched, a flute of champagne in hand and a smile on her face.

Dimitri noticed that Byleth was standing with some of the other professors, also sipping from a flute of champagne. Dimitri went to join him. 

“You seem tense tonight, my prince,” Byleth noted as Dimitri stood beside him. “And you’re not even competing White Heron Cup.”

“Truthfully, I am...uncomfortable with these sorts of formal events,” Dimitri admitted, leaving out the part about wanting to dance with the man next to him and being too nervous to ask, especially in front of all these people. Even if the professor was interested in men, he did not want to assume, and make Byleth uncomfortable.

“Here, this will help,” Byleth said, reaching over to one of the tables and handing Dimitri a champagne flute. He held a finger to his lips. “You’ll be eighteen soon, so I believe it is alright if you have one. If anyone asks, tell them I gave it to you. They won’t object.”

Dimitri chuckled. “Thank you, Professor,” he said, raising his glass. Byleth clinked his against it, and they shared a sip together. 

Dimitri noticed some of his other classmates from the other houses, including Edelgard, dancing and before long, a girl from a noble house in Morfis asked him to dance. He couldn’t decline, so he stepped out onto the dance floor after emptying his drink, Byleth kindly plucking the glass from his fingers as he was swept away. He gave Dimitri a thumbs up with a completely deadpan face and Dimitri had to stifle a laugh by clearing his throat.

“Are you alright, Your Majesty?” the girl asked, concerned, and Dimitri nodded.

“Y-yes, just, I, um, nevermind. I feel great,” he said honestly, as he led her into a dance. 

The music the string quartet played was beautiful and flowing, and Dimitri was doing his best to look his partner in the eye, but his eyes kept wandering to Byleth, who seemed to also be watching him dance. As Dimitri swayed with his partner, eyes on Byleth, he felt as though perhaps he was dancing with his professor, instead of doing his duty as the crown prince. 

Byleth broke eye contact for a moment and Dimitri glanced up to see that Claude had approached him with a new champagne glass, handing Byleth one with a grand flourish. He smiled a bit before taking the glass and clinking it against the one between Claude’s fingers. 

Dimitri looked away. He couldn’t get upset here, not here in front of all these people.  _ Just don’t look. Don’t look at him. _

The dance led Dimitri closer to Edelgard, and they danced near each other for a moment before swirling away with their respective partners. Dimitri looked up when he heard students ooh-ing and giggling loudly and he searched for the cause of the commotion.

Claude had pulled Byleth on the dance floor. 

Claude was leading Byleth, the professor with his hand on Claude’s shoulder and Claude’s hand resting gently on his waist. Claude was grinning from ear to ear, laughing as he swirled around with Byleth, who seemed as though he were also stifling a laugh. Dimitri nearly screamed. 

They spun and swirled effortlessly across the dance floor, Claude easily leading Byleth as though they had practiced together before. All eyes were on the two of them, some students cheering, others giggling, some happily clapping along to the music as they moved. Claude and Byleth kept eye contact on each other for their entire dance, the professor seeming to have completely forgotten Dimitri.

Dimitri spun away, unable to look anymore. He suddenly just felt like being alone. But it wasn’t like he could leave now, or even any time soon, so he put on his practiced princely smile and kept dancing, despite himself. And what would it matter if he stole another flute of champagne or two? He memorized the steps of this dance and he needed something to fog up the thought of Claude and Byleth. 

He knew Byleth didn’t dance with Claude the entire night; he had promised dances to the ladies of the Blue Lions, and even pulled a completely red-in-the-face Felix out of the corner to dance. But Dimitri was tired. He danced a few more but found a break to escape, slipping out of the reception hall and around the eastern side of the bridge, to the benches that overlooked the cemetery and a few trees. The Ethereal Moon wind was crisp and chilly, but it felt good — refreshing, especially considered he was feeling warm from the few glasses of champagne he drank. He was sobering up already.

He heard footsteps coming behind him and turned. “What are you doing out here?” 

“I needed some fresh air,” Byleth said. “It seems as though you were thinking the same. May I join you?”

“Sure,” Dimitri said, turning back to the railing, and Byleth approached, leaning over the stone railing the same way Dimitri was.

“Is something the matter? You don’t seem to be yourself,” Byleth said, Dimitri noticing a slight gentleness in his tone. “I saw you had another glass of champagne.”

“I am fine, Professor, please don’t worry about me.”

“It’s just us,” Byleth reminded him. “You may always speak freely with me, Dimitri.”

Dimitri turned to look at Byleth for a moment. There was an undeniably glow of concern burning in the professor’s eyes. He turned away again. “I said before. I am just uncomfortable with these kinds of formal events,” he lied.

“I don’t understand why. You seem to be a great dancer,” Byleth said, seeing through it. 

Dimitri scoffed lightly. “And yet I did not get to dance with the person I wanted to dance with the most.”

“Did you try asking them?”

“I did not want to bother them. They were... _ occupied _ for most of the night,” Dimitri said bitterly. 

“They seem quite free now.”

Dimitri turned to look at Byleth once more, and on this rare occasion, wasn’t able to discern the expression on his face. He was expecting the Professor to be smiling, to be teasing him, but he looked...serious. And patient. Dimitri hoped it meant what he thought it meant. 

Dimitri swallowed a lump in his throat and stood up straight, offering his hand to Byleth. He took a breath. “Byleth Eisner, may I have the honor of this dance?”

Byleth looked at Dimitri’s hand, and then back up to lock eyes with him. Dimitri still couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and he willed his hand not to shake when Byleth did not move. “Are you asking me as my student, or as my friend?”

Dimitri contemplated his choices for a beat. “Neither.”

“Then yes,” Byleth said with a warm smile, placing his hand in Dimitri’s, the other resting on his shoulder. 

They could barely hear the music from inside the reception hall, but Byleth began humming the song that Dimitri had heard him hum in the bathhouse and it was all they needed. Just Byleth’s quiet humming, his hand in Dimitri’s, the two of them swayed slow and gently. He led Byleth easily, the professor effortlessly moving in step wherever Dimitri directed him. 

Dimitri would twirl Byleth out, and pull him back in, closer and closer every time, until he could feel the professor’s fingers gently grazing the short hairs at the back of his neck. He was so close that Dimitri could smell him, like oak, chamomile, steel. They stopped doing the steps to the dance eventually, and Byleth stopped humming, just the two of them swaying together, hand in hand. All other noises, all other things drifted away, and Dimitri was just here, in this moment, dancing under the stars with the man he loved.

Dimitri was so close he could count Byleth’s eyelashes, the professor gazing up at him. He saw what hoped looked like gentleness, fondness, in his professor’s eyes. Byleth’s lips looked so soft.

“Byleth,” Dimitri breathed quietly, not wanting to speak too loudly and burst their wonderful little bubble. 

“Yes, my prince?” Byleth’s voice was just a whisper.

Dimitri took a breath. “Byleth, I—”

“Professor! Dimitri!” called a voice and Dimitri felt Byleth swiftly rip himself away from Dimitri to put space between them, shattering his heart in the process.

“The White Heron Cup is about to start!” Annette squealed excitedly. “Hurry! Flayn is going on first!”

Annette didn’t wait for them as she scurried back into the reception hall. 

Byleth was quiet as though waiting for Dimitri to say something, and Dimitri opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Byleth smiled, but it looked...sad. It didn’t fill his chest with warmth the way it usually did; it felt suffocating.

He put a hand on Dimitri’s shoulder when another beat of silence passed. “Come now, we should go inside and support Flayn,” he said, and then paused. “We...can chalk this up to one too many glasses of champagne and forget this dance, if that is what you prefer. ”

It wasn’t. It wasn’t what Dimitri preferred. He never wanted to forget this dance. He wanted to talk about this, he wanted to tell Byleth everything. He wasn’t drunk, he was more sober than he had ever been in his life, he was seeing more clearly now than ever before. He  _ loved _ Byleth. Adored him. He wanted to be with him, to ask his beautiful professor to spend the rest of his days at Dimitri’s side. 

But what he said was, “Yes. That is probably for the best. My apologies, Professor.”

Byleth didn’t correct him this time, even though they were alone again. “Consider it forgotten,” Byleth said, his usual expressionless mask placed delicately over his face. “Please excuse me.”

He turned on his heel and headed back inside, and all Dimitri could do was follow, leaving the pieces of his heart behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to everyone who read and left kudos! final smutty chapter soon!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Dimitri and Byleth fight and make up.
> 
> AKA bang bang bangity bang I said a bang bang bangity bang (a bang bang bang)

Byleth really did seem like he had forgotten all about the dance. The next day, class went by exactly as it always did. The two of them met up after class and chit chatted before Byleth had to go to a faculty meeting and Dimitri went to the training grounds. He was acting completely normal, holding up to his promise but it didn’t feel right to Dimitri. It felt like there was a wall between them. Dimitri hated it. 

On Dimitri’s birthday, class was a half day for the Blue Lions, and the whole class celebrated the eighteenth birthday of the Crown Prince. Annette and Ingrid decorated their classroom in blue and gold streamers. Mercedes had baked a beautiful cake, Ashe and Dedue had made some of Dimitri’s favorite snacks. Sylvain and Felix had chipped in to purchase Dimitri a new silver lance and a javelin. 

Dimitri wondered if Byleth would give him something, and of course, the professor was always so thoughtful. 

“Something small from me,” Byleth said, handing Dimitri a little box of Faergherian tea, Dimitri’s favorite. 

It wasn’t what Dimitri wanted. “Thank you, Professor.”

Byleth nodded politely as Annette called him over to the food. 

Dimitri didn’t know what to do. His heart ached. His stupid decision that night of the White Heron Cup had completely ruined his friendship with Byleth. He hadn’t heard Byleth laugh or jest for days. Why had he asked Byleth to dance? He knew how he felt about Byleth; and after the other man had torn away, he knew that Byleth didn’t feel the same. After all, he was the one that had suggested they forget about the dance. All this time, Dimitri had told himself that he would be fine just being friends with the professor but that was a lie. He couldn’t just be friends with Byleth, not when he loved him so much.

He needed to put distance between them so that he would eventually be able to be friends with Byleth again and rebuild their friendship to what it used to be. Above all, that’s all he wanted. He wanted things to go back to the way they used to be, before his opened his stupid mouth and ruined everything. He wished he could turn back the hands of time. 

But alas, he did not have that power, so the best he could do was face the consequences of his actions and promise to do better by himself and by Byleth. No more feelings. Dimitri needed to shut it down. He just needed some space and time to do so. 

At dawn on Sunday, Dimitri headed straight to the training grounds. When Dedue later joined him, he kindly asked his friend to tell the professor that he would not be able to join him for tea later. Dedue frowned.

“Your Highness, did something happen? You usually look forward to tea time with the professor.”

“We have to be ready for battle at any moment. As future king of Faerghus, I have decided I do not have the leisure time to be having tea every week,” Dimitri said sternly. It hurt to even say the words. “I must...focus on my training.”

“I am sure the professor would be happy to train with you. Perhaps I can invite him to spar, if that is what Your Highness would prefer to do during your usual time together.”

“No,” Dimitri said and turned away. “Please send him my deepest apologies.”

Dedue hesitated for a moment before giving him a small nod, bowing. “I will let the professor know.”

“Thank you, my friend.”

Dimitri half-expected Byleth to come down to the training grounds to check on him, but the professor never showed up. It was fine. This was what Dimitri wanted. Byleth didn’t mention anything to him in class the next day, or the day after that. Dimitri didn’t bother to wait for Byleth after class to chat and walk as they usually did. He had nothing to say to him. It'd been days since they'd last spoken.

He stayed at the training grounds all afternoon, only taking a brief moment to eat a snack and regain some energy before repeating his drills. 

“Why don’t you get some rest before you actually injure yourself, boar,” Felix said, as even he began to pack his things up.

Dimitri barely heard him, focusing on his own training. He heard Felix tsk, complaining about him to Dedue for a moment, before leaving the training grounds.

“Your Highness, you have been at it all day. Let us retire to dinner,” Dedue said and Dimitri shook his head.

“I will meet up with you later, Dedue. Thank you,” he said, and Dedue just nodded before following Felix.

At nightfall, when all the other students had left, Dimitri picked up his new silver lance that he had gotten for his birthday from Sylvain and Felix, feeling its weight in his hands. It felt good. Lightweight, but sturdy. Powerful. It would be okay to practice with this now, when there was no one here he would hurt accidentally.

He tried a few practice swings with it, gently at first, to get used to its weight, then at full strength, to kill. The lance ripped through the air and Dimitri nodded to himself. Dedue eventually brought Dimitri something to eat, when he didn’t come to dinner, but Dimitri stayed at the training grounds until the moon was high in the sky. 

“If you widen your stance, you’ll get more power from your legs,” said a voice, and Dimitri turned to see Byleth emerge from the darkness.

Dimitri turned back to his drills. Dedue must have told Byleth he was here. “Thank you, Professor.”

“You’ve been here all day.”

“Training.”

“Oh? Then show me.”

He heard the sound of scraping metal as Byleth unsheathed his sword and turned to see the professor pointing his blade at Dimitri, in a fighting stance. Before Dimitri could say anything, Byleth rushed him, swinging his sword. Dimitri was barely able to throw his lance up in time to block and shove Byleth off him, sparks flying. Without thinking, Dimitri thrust his lance forward, Byleth flicking his head and barely dodging the tip that would have gone through his throat. Byleth slashed Dimitri’s lance away, weaving low to get inside of Dimitri’s guard, but he was already hopping backwards to increase the distance between them, slashing wide to force Byleth back.

Then Byleth went on the offensive, slashing quickly and furiously. All Dimitri could do against his wild assault was block, but each slash was aimed at his neck, each thrust for his heart, with the strength and speed to kill. He could feel the ominous presence of the Ashen Demon, in all his bloodlust, beginning to overpower him. Dimitri’s blood was pumping and he could feel the hits to his lance shaking his bones but he wouldn’t relent – he would not lose. He parried a hit and slashed wide again, forcing Byleth to move back. 

Dimitri thrust his lance forward but Byleth dodged swiftly, sweeping in closer as he slammed a boot down on the lance pole, near Dimitri’s grip. The prince was brought to his knees for a moment, but managed to roll out of the way as Byleth’s sword came crashing down. He heaved his lance up, pushing Byleth back again. It was his turn to go on the offensive.

Byleth was too quick for Dimitri’s lance, easily dodging every single one of his attacks, not even needing to block. With a roar, Dimitri lashed out, and Byleth ducked a wide slash just as Dimitri had predicted he would. Dimitri brought the tip of his lance down, slamming the silver into the concrete, creating bits of rubble where Byleth should have been, but the professor had swiftly back stepped, about to counter attack. Dimitri quickly flipped his lance up, flinging the dust up into Byleth’s eyes, causing the professor to recoil with a shout. He swept Byleth’s legs with the lance, tripping him onto his back, and held the point of it down at Byleth’s throat, breathing hard as he stood over his professor, victorious. 

Dimitri noticed for the first time that Byleth was also breathing hard, the other man holding his sword up, fighting until the end, but the blade came up short. If Byleth moved another inch, the blade of Dimitri’s lance would slice into Byleth’s neck. They had never sparred with real weapons before; never fought with intent to kill. This was the first time Dimitri had ever beaten Byleth in a fight. Dimitri moved his lance aside and held out a hand to Byleth. He took it, and Dimitri helped him up with ease, the professor dusting himself off. 

Byleth chuckled, the first bit of laughter from him that Dimitri had heard in days as he sheathed his sword. Dimitri wasn’t sure if it was the adrenaline buzz, but there was a heavy air between them. Dimitri wanted Byleth more than he had ever wanted him before.

“Well done,” the professor praised. “It seems as though you’ve learned a few things from my mercenary fighting style.”

Dimitri forced his chest to not swell with praise, trying to keep his emotions in check. “Thank you, Professor.” 

“We’re alone.”

Dimitri didn’t bother to correct himself, instead, turning away. “What are you doing here?”

“You didn’t come to tea on Sunday.”

“I was training.”

“And clearly it paid off,” Byleth said. The professor put a hand on his shoulder, his touch gentle despite their wild, violent fight not moments ago. It almost broke him. “Dimitri, have I done something to offend you?”

“No, Professor,” Dimitri said, and it was the truth. 

“Then why have you been avoiding me?” Byleth’s voice was quiet, and Dimitri clenched his jaw. “If I have done something to upset you, I would like to know what it was so that I may apologize and never do it again. We are supposed to be friends. You may always speak freely with me.”

“No, I can’t,” Dimitri said, turning back to Byleth. “Not about this. If you wish me to come to tea, then so be it, I will attend.”

Byleth’s gaze hardened. “I am not going to  _ force  _ you to come to tea with me—”

“Then why are you here?”

“Because clearly something is bothering you, and it is my duty to help,” Byleth snapped. Dimitri had never heard Byleth get angry before, never heard him express emotion in this way.

“Well, then I relieve you of your duties, Professor,” Dimitri replied coldly.

Byleth wasn’t relenting. “Why is it that you cannot just speak to me, man to man?” The irritation was clear in his voice. “You always do this, pretending that things do not bother you when obviously, they do. You hide your emotions away behind a fake smile and pretty words. Just be honest with me, Dimitri.”

“You’re one to talk,” Dimitri snapped back. “No one can ever tell what you’re thinking.”

“I have been nothing but honest with you and you know that,” Byleth shot back. “We are supposed to be friends, I—”

“I cannot be friends with you, Professor,” Dimitri said, silencing the professor. “At least, not right now. We are  _ supposed  _ to be friends, yes, but I have not been a good friend to you, and I cannot be a good friend to you, so it is in both our best interests that we distance ourselves from each other.”

“What are you talking about? That’s not true.”

“It is,” Dimitri said firmly. “Because, as always, Professor, you are right. I have been avoiding you.”

Byleth immediately softened at that. He let out a breath, calming himself down. “Then talk to me, Dimitri,” he said, his voice almost pleading. “Tell me if I have done something to offend you.”

“I—” Dimitri started, and took a breath, steeling his resolve. He shook his head. “You do not wish to hear what it is I have to say. But I can assure you that you have done nothing to offend me, Professor—”

“Byleth.”

“I do not deserve to call you by name,” Dimitri snapped and then took another breath. “I cannot speak freely about what has been on my mind because you will judge me. You will hate me. And I would rather us just return to being teacher and student and have the memory of a great friendship, than ruin everything and tarnish the way you see me.”

“Try me.”

“Professor.”

“As I said before, you are my most dearest friend, Dimitri. There is nothing you can say or do that would ever make me hate you,” Byleth promised gently, and Dimitri wanted to believe him. “Try me.”

“Fine.” Dimitri paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. “I love you, Byleth,” he said firmly. Byleth’s expression didn’t change, but it somehow didn’t matter. He felt braver now that he had said it aloud for the first time, his courage washing over him in waves. “I am so hopelessly, deeply in love with you. I am amazed by the things you do on and off the battlefield, inspired by your knowledge and leadership, astounded by your thoughtfulness, entranced by your effortless grace, strength, and beauty. You are on my mind constantly, incessantly; every second of every day we have spent together these last few months is burned into my mind permanently. 

“But I have taken advantage of you. I have used our friendship as an excuse to be close to you, to ask things of you, to fall more and more in love with you, and it is wrong. That dance last week, it meant everything to me. I never wanted to let you go. I am sickeningly jealous of every other relationship in your life because I want to be the only person you ever look at but I know that that cannot be. That is why I cannot be friends with you any longer, because I want more than friendship and I am so  _ tired  _ of pretending that I don’t. So until I can get over my feelings, I think it best to put our friendship on hold. I’m sorry. It’s because of my own selfishness that I cannot be friends with you, and therefore, do not deserve you as a friend.”

Byleth didn’t say anything, the expression on his face stayed the same, but it was fine. Dimitri expected this. He gripped his lance tightly, bowing his head to the professor. “That is all I have to say. If you would please excuse me, Professor,” he said, forcing his legs to move as he strode past Byleth.

“Dimitri,” he heard Byleth say, and felt the professor grab on to his wrist.

Byleth was smiling Dimitri’s favorite smile, beautiful in the moonlight. “That was the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me. I am so proud that you finally found the courage to tell me how you feel,” he said quietly. “You have inspired me to find my courage as well.”

“Wh—” Dimitri started, but was interrupted with Byleth pulling him closer, the professor cupping his face as he pressed his lips into Dimitri’s for a kiss.

Byleth’s lips were warm and soft, just like how Dimitri thought they would be. Ignoring his short-circuiting brain, he kissed back immediately, dropping his lance with a loud clang, the weapon forgotten, as he wrapped his arms tightly around the professor’s waist.

Byleth tilted his head to deepen the kiss, his hands tangling in Dimitri’s hair. Dimitri felt the professor swipe his tongue on his lips and he parted them immediately, allowing Byleth to lick inside of his mouth. Dimitri’s knees were trembling, and was glad he was holding onto Byleth, or he would have fallen to the dirt like his lance.

Though they kissed for what seemed like an eternity Byleth pulled back, Dimitri felt cheated. Byleth seemed to be able to tell, and peppered more kisses on Dimitri’s lips, chuckling quietly. 

Dimitri was breathing hard, not sure this was really happening. “Byleth, I—”

“Your room or mine?” Byleth said through kisses and Dimitri felt his brain short-circuit a second time.

“Y-yours.”

Byleth nodded, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “We must be swift and silent going back to the dorms. Can you do that for me, my prince?”

“Yes,” he said obediently, and was rewarded with another kiss.

“Come now,” Byleth said, taking him by the hand and racing from the training grounds.

There were a few guards doing patrols around the monastery, and every time they saw one, Byleth yanked Dimitri into the shadows, into an alley, around the corner, and shoved him into the wall with tender kisses and quiet giggles. Things had moved so quickly after Dimitri’s confession, and were continuing to escalate. Dimitri didn’t know what to think when Byleth’s long fingers were touching him everywhere, rubbing against the front of his trousers, cupping around to squeeze his ass. When Byleth ground against Dimitri’s leg and he felt the professor’s hardness beneath his pants, he suddenly felt lightheaded. 

Dimitri’s trousers were already painfully tight by the time they managed to make it all the way to Byleth’s room. Byleth pulled him through the doors and immediately pressed Dimitri up against them when they shut, his deft fingers already undoing the belts and clasps on his uniform and armor.

“B-byleth, wait,  _ wait _ ,” Dimitri said through kisses, and Byleth immediately stopped, his hands moving to cup Dimitri’s face and place gently on the back of his neck.

“What is it, my dearest?” he asked and Dimitri’s knees nearly buckled at the nickname.

“I—it’s just,” he started, trying to form coherent thoughts, which was seeming to be impossible with Byleth’s kiss swollen lips not inches from his own. But Byleth waited patiently, gently running his hands through his blonde hair. “T-this is really fast, and — it f-feels like a dream. A-and I want this, I do, I want _you_ , b-but I still don’t know — can you...tell me how you feel about me? O-out loud. I want to hear it — I just want to be sure. Please.”

Byleth smiled warmly, cupping Dimitri’s face with both hands even though Dimitri knew he was rambling. The professor looked into Dimitri’s eyes, smiling his favorite smile, one hand gently moving blonde hair from his face.

“Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, I love you,” Byleth said quietly, just for Dimitri’s ears alone. Dimitri’s heart was pounding. “I have loved you since the day we met. I will follow you to hell and back, and I will love you for the rest of my days. I have always been and always will be yours and yours alone, my beautiful, perfect prince.”

“Goddess, I love you, Byleth,” Dimitri breathed, and wrapped his arms around Byleth again, pulling him in for a kiss. Byleth’s fingers returned to unclasping pieces of Dimitri’s clothing, and Dimitri decided to do the same, undoing the clasp of Byleth’s overcoat, the heavy material falling to the floor. He slid off his professor’s gauntlets, letting them drop noisily, never breaking their kiss.

But the noise seemed to snap something in Byleth and he stepped away for a second, holding a finger up to Dimitri. Papers were flying as he haphazardly searched for something on his desk and pulled out a tiny strip of paper from inside of a book that he seemed to be using a bookmark. He messily scribbled something on it and then slapped it on his door, the entire room flashing a dull green before he was on Dimitri again.

“What—”

“A silencing talisman I learned from a cohort when I was a mercenary,” Byleth explained swiftly as he unclasped the armor on his knee, and then guided Dimitri's hands around him to undo the tie on his waist armor. Dimitri still had so many questions; he didn’t even know that magic like that existed, he wanted to know who Byleth had learned it from—

Byleth tip-toed up to kiss Dimitri again, pushing him against the door roughly, startling him from his thoughts. The sight of the shorter man cornering him made Dimitri’s heart pound with desire. “I have wanted you for  _ weeks _ . Now that I can have you, I wish to give you a proper birthday gift, and make you scream my name. The talisman is so we don’t wake your classmates. Or the entire monastery. Is that amenable to you, my prince?”

“Yes,” was all that Dimitri was able to say, before Byleth tangled his hands in Dimitri’s hair and kissed him deeply again. Dimitri had a feeling that his usual silent professor might like to...  _ talk _ in bed and he decided to revisit that thought at a later time in favor of taking the clothes off said professor. 

The shuffled out of their clothes, moving about the room, knocking over Byleth’s chair as Byleth moved them towards the bed after pulling Dimitri’s shirt over his head. Byleth was still wearing his shirt as he climbed over Dimitri, resting between his legs. 

None of Dimitri’s fantasies were this good, Byleth with his hair mussed and dirty from their spar, spreading Dimitri’s legs open, looking absolutely ravenous, as though he hadn’t had a meal for days. Byleth leaned down and rubbed his cheek on Dimitri’s still clothed cock, eliciting a groan from the prince. He mouthed over its length and Dimitri threw his head back, whining.

“Goddess, you are so sensitive. So easy to tease,” Byleth said, his words making Dimitri’s cock twitch as though on cue. “I wager I could make you cum in your pants, but I shall save that for another time. I want to make a different mess of you tonight, my prince.”

_ Yes, he definitely likes to talk,  _ Dimitri thought, his cock leaking precum, because  _ damn _ , did Dimitri like it when his professor spoke this way about him. 

“Can you do something for me, my dearest?” Byleth asked, continuing to rub his cheek over Dimitri’s cock.

“A-anything,” Dimitri said, running his hands through Byleth’s hair. Byleth quickly snatched his wrists and tied them with the sash that had been around his waist armor. Dimitri hadn't even realized the professor had even grabbed it off the floor. The sash was thin but the binding was expertly tight, though Dimitri knew that he could snap out of them quite easily if he wanted to. Byleth seemed to know this as well.

"Don't break my sash," Byleth said sweetly, pushing Dimitri's bound wrists above his head. "The longer it stays in tact, the more I'll reward you. Sound good?"

Dimitri nodded vigorously as Byleth slinked back down Dimitri's body. “Such a good boy,” Byleth said over Dimitri’s cock and the prince moaned, the praise going straight to his groin. Byleth pulled his shirt up over his head as what Dimitri felt like was a reward, as he got to admire the professor’s strong chest. 

Byleth’s slender fingers slowly, agonizingly undid the buttons on Dimitri’s pants, the prince unable to do anything but watch Byleth tug his pants unceremoniously down his legs. Once Dimitri’s pants were thrown on the ground, Byleth raised one of Dimitri’s legs, nibbling on the sensitive flesh inside his thighs as he made his way back towards Dimitri’s cock.

“You did so well in our fight earlier,” Byleth praised, Dimitri’s cock twitching at his words. “So strong. So agile. I wanted to take you right there in the training grounds.”

“M-me, too,” Dimitri managed to say, relieved that he wasn’t the only one that felt that way.

Byleth mouthed at the head of Dimitri’s cock over his underwear. “Oh, really? My dearest,” he said, catching Dimitri’s attention. He looked down at Byleth; the man’s eyes were completely blown out from lust. He lowered his face so that the vibration of his voice would go straight to Dimitri’s cock. “Have you imagined us together before? Fantasized about me fucking you? Do you touch yourself thinking of me?”

Dimitri’s chest grew tight. Byleth nipped sharply at Dimitri’s thigh, the man jumping a bit. “Y-yes,” he breathed, squirming under Byleth’s touch.

“You didn’t even try to lie. So honest and beautiful, my perfect prince,” Byleth praised again, catching Dimitri’s underwear in his teeth and pulling it down his hips. Byleth sat up, running his hands over Dimitri’s thighs gently, looking down at him. Dimitri was completely naked, his thick cock finally free, and Dimitri felt exposed as Byleth drank in the sight of him. “How often?”

“What?” Dimitri asked, forgetting what they had even been talking about. 

“How often do you touch yourself thinking of me?” Byleth repeated for him, massaging the insides of his thighs, hands grazing his cock.

“E-every night,” Dimitri managed to say, trying to thrust his hips up for Byleth to touch him. Byleth held his hips down.

Byleth lowered himself back between Dimitri’s legs. “Oh. You flatter me,” Byleth said, and Dimitri could feel his breath on his dick as he spoke. “Goddess, you have such a nice, big cock. I have wanted you for so long, my prince. I touched myself every night thinking of you as well.”

Dimitri didn’t even get to respond before Byleth took the head of his cock in his mouth. A moan ripped out from Dimitri’s throat as the professor swirled his tongue around and around. Just imagining the professor laying in his bed at night, stroking himself as he thought of Dimitri made his head spin. 

Byleth bobbed all the way down, taking Dimitri all the way back in his throat. “Aah, fuck—” Dimitri cursed, biting the inside of his lip so hard he drew blood. He moaned, unashamed, as Byleth bobbed up and down on his cock, taking Dimitri to the back of his throat every time. Dimitri dared to open his eyes to see Byleth looking up at him, the professor’s mouth filled with cock,  _ his  _ cock,  _ drooling  _ around it, touching himself over his trousers.

“Byleth,  _ please _ —”

Byleth popped off Dimitri’s cock, wiping the drool off his chin. “What is it, my prince?” He asked patiently. “Are you alright?”

“Y-yes, I just. I want to see you, too,” Dimitri said. “I want to undress you.”

“Oh,” Byleth said, sitting up on his knees and climbing over Dimitri’s chest. He added, “Don't break my sash.”

Dimitri nodded and his bound hands immediately flew to the buttons on Byleth’s pants, undoing them quickly with as little movement as possible to avoid breaking the binds on his wrists. He rubbed Byleth’s erection through the fabric of his underwear, delighted to feel that his professor was rock hard, even leaking precum. “Byleth, y-you’re so wet,” Dimitri groaned, rubbing the professor in admiration. 

“Yes, look at what you do to me,” Byleth said, and Dimitri pulled Byleth’s underwear down, freeing his cock. Byleth took himself in hand, circling his thumb and rubbing his precum over his head while Dimitri watched hungrily. 

Dimitri immediately noticed three sets of tiny titanium balls on the underside of Byleth’s cock and he reached up to graze against them. Piercings. His eyes widened and he peered up at Byleth for a moment, who was looking down at him with the tiniest of smirks on his lips. 

“B-byleth, you–”

“Do you like them?” Byleth asked. 

“Yes,” Dimitri breathed, running his thumbs over the barbells through his professor’s cock. Goddess, he couldn’t wait to know how that would feel inside him. Despite his fantasies, Dimitri had never sucked dick before, but he knew he wanted Byleth’s down his throat as far as he could take it. He gazed up at the professor, want in his eyes, wrists pressed tightly against his chest as though praying. “May I?”

Byleth took hold of his cock as he scooted up Dimitri’s chest on his knees. “Only since you begged,” Byleth teased as he fed his cock into Dimitri’s waiting mouth. 

Dimitri eagerly took Byleth’s cock into his mouth as far as he could, tongue swiping over the professor’s piercings. Byleth let Dimitri lick and suck around his cock as he pleased, staying perfectly still, encouraging him with strokes in his hair and little praises. Byleth let out a small moan when Dimitri focused his efforts on the piercings and sucked hard on his cockhead. Byleth instinctively pushed forward an inch once, causing Dimitri to sputter around his dick and pull off.

“Sorry, my love,” Byleth said, stroking his hair. 

“No, no, I want to,” Dimitri assured him, licking a wet stripe from the base of the professor’s cock, playing with the piercings for a moment before swirling his tongue over the head of Byleth’s cock. 

Byleth stroked Dimitri’s hair, gently pulling him off his cock and laying his head back onto the bed. “Another time,” he promised. “Right now, I want to focus on you.”

The professor reached over Dimitri and fished around in his nightstand, procuring a small phial of oil before settling back between Dimitri's legs.

“Hands above your head,” Byleth demanded, and Dimitri immediately raised his hands above his head again. The professor popped open the phial cap, pouring some oil over his fingers, drips splattering on Dimitri’s cock. He lowered his hand and circled his finger around Dimitri’s hole, Dimitri jumping a bit at the cold. “I’m going to fuck you, my prince. I’m going to make you mine. But I must prepare you first. Would you like that? To be opened by my fingers before I fuck you?”

“Y-yes,” Dimitri moaned, precum dribbling from his cock again at the thought of Byleth fucking him with that  _ cock _ . “Please,  _ please _ fuck me, Byleth.”

Byleth didn’t answer, instead took Dimitri’s cock back into his mouth and inserted a finger in him at the same time. Distracted by the overwhelming pleasure of Byleth’s warm mouth, Dimitri threw his head back and let out a choked moan, faintly feeling Byleth smile around his cock. 

Byleth’s grip on Dimitri’s hip was strong, keeping him in place as he tried to cant his hips up into Byleth’s mouth or push into his finger. Before long, Byleth inserted another finger, scissoring open Dimitri’s hole. “A-ah—Byleth, f-fuck,” he breathed as Byleth hollowed his cheeks and sucked hard.

Dimitri let out a cry as Byleth found his prostate, and the professor inserted another finger to massage against it. Dimitri was moaning loudly as Byleth continued to push against the bundle of nerves.

“Byleth, s-stop,  _ please _ —stop,” Dimitri choked out, and Byleth heard the sound of his sash snapping before Dimitri's hands were in his hair. He immediately pulled off Dimitri’s cock, removing his fingers from his hole. Dimitri whined at the emptiness.

“My love, are you alright?” Byleth asked tenderly, wiping the spit off his chin with the back of his clean hand. He took Dimitri's hands and gently rubbed the red marks from the sash.

“Y-yes, I’m fine. I—I just don’t want to cum like this for our first time,” Dimitri breathed, appreciating how even though he had broken Byleth's rules and his sash, the professor was still gentle with him. The tenderness between them made his eyes glassy with tears. “I want you inside me when I cum.”

“Oh, Goddess, I don’t deserve you, my prince,” Byleth said affectionately. He pressed soft kisses to the raw skin on Dimitri's wrists and then kissed the prince sweetly. “Though you broke my sash, I cannot wait any longer either.  When I fuck you, you must do me another favor and let your voice out. I want to hear you. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Dimitri responded obediently, feeling Byleth move down his body and line himself up with Dimitri’s hole. He poured more oil over his cock, slicking himself up and pressing the head of his cock against Dimitri’s hole, teasing him, and Dimitri tried to push down onto Byleth, but the professor held his hips in place.

“I can’t promise I’ll be gentle,” Byleth warned. “But I promise I won’t hurt you. If it’s too much, I will stop immediately, just tell me. I love you, Dimitri.”

“I love you, Byleth,  _ ahh _ \--” Dimitri breathed as Byleth pushed into him slowly, Dimitri feeling each piercing go inside him, barbell by barbell. Dimitri’s legs were shaking as Byleth plunged deeper inside him, and when he was fully inside Dimitri, he paused.

“B-breathe, my love,” Byleth said, his voice breaking for a bit. It was a bit reassuring to Dimitri, to know that he wasn’t the only one losing his composure.

Dimitri took a breath as his professor instructed him, getting used to the feel of Byleth’s cock inside him. He felt so full -- more full than he’d ever felt before. His fingers, not even Byleth’s fingers, could compare to this sensation.

“I’m going to move,” Byleth told him, and Dimitri nodded. Byleth started with slow, shallow thrusts, getting Dimitri used to his size. Dimitri loved the feeling of the balls on Byleth’s piercings rubbing against his insides. When the prince seemed to be breathing better and enjoying himself, Byleth pulled out almost all the way before slamming back in. 

“Ah— _ fuck _ !” Dimitri cried, throwing his head back. Byleth did it again, and again, his hands on either side of Dimitri’s head as he fucked him at a brutal pace. Byleth shifted a bit, grabbing Dimitri’s legs and throwing them over his shoulder, and Dimitri let out a scream of pleasure as Byleth’s cock hit his prostate at this new angle. He wouldn’t last long at this rate.

“You feel amazing, my prince, s-so good, so tight for me,” Byleth praised, slamming into Dimitri’s hole. The prince was pushing back against Byleth’s thrusts hungrily, chasing his pleasure, loving the feeling of his professor finally fucking him into his mattress. Dimitri gripped at the sheets above him, feeling a familiar burning in his gut.

“B-byleth, I’m—I’m close, I–” Dimitri choked out, eyes glassy from pleasure. 

“Cum for me,  _ Your Highness _ ,” Byleth commanded, wrapping his fist around Dimitri’s cock and pumping. That was all the permission Dimitri needed. A scream ripped from his throat in the form of Byleth’s name as he came hard, and Byleth watched through lidded eyes as his prince painted his own stomach and chest white with his seed.

Byleth was close too, and in only a few more thrusts he could feel his orgasm approaching, especially as Dimitri warmth clutched him as he came. “D-dimitri, I—”

“Cum inside me, Byleth, please—” Dimitri begged breathlessly, and his teary, fucked out gaze sent the professor over the edge. Byleth slammed into him one last time, spilling his seed inside the prince. Dimitri loved the feeling of being filled with his professor’s cum, relishing in the feeling of the cock pulsing inside him. He looked beautiful when he came, his head thrown back in ecstasy, gripping Dimitri’s legs tightly. 

Dimitri tangled his fingers in Byleth’s hair as the professor came down from his high, pulling him down for a kiss and Byleth obliged him. Dimitri collapsed on the bed and Byleth smiled warmly, brushing the blonde hair from the prince’s eyes. His eyes were closed gently, but he looked euphoric and fucked out, a thin layer of sweat covering his heaving chest, his stomach splattered with his own cum. 

Byleth pulled out, Dimitri whining with the loss as cum dribbled out of his hole. Byleth snatched a towel off his bay window shelf and gently cleaned Dimitri’s ass and stomach, before tossing the soiled towel to the floor near his clothes. He crawled onto the bed and gathered Dimitri in his arms, throwing the blanket over them loosely, the two of them sharing a blissful moment of comfortable silence.

“Better than your fantasies?” Byleth teased quietly.

“Not even comparable,” Dimitri confirmed, and Byleth chuckled as they shared a kiss. “T-those... _ piercings _ . I never thought–where did you–”

Byleth stifled a chuckle and gently bit Dimitri's shoulder. “I can’t remember when, or from who, exactly, but I got them a while ago, when I was a mercenary. A stupid teenage decision, probably, and I‘ve never cared much about them to take them out, so I’m glad you like them at least.”

“Though it is probably for the better, as you said before, sometimes, I think it’s a shame you don’t remember much from your mercenary days,” Dimitri admitted sheepishly, remembering the talisman. “You must have met some interesting people.”

Byleth shrugged slightly. “Not interesting enough for me to remember them. None like you.”

Dimitri smiled at that, and reached up to brush Byleth’s hair from his face, the professor leaning into his touch. “This doesn’t feel real. Being here with you, like this.”

Byleth took his hand and peppered kisses over his knuckles, Dimitri feeling the smile on his lips. “For me as well.”

“Before, you...said you wanted me for a long time,” Dimitri said, his voice quiet, unsure. “Since we met?”

“Yes,” Byleth said without hesitation. “But I am your teacher, first and foremost. It’s the pretense in which we fostered our relationship. I apologize for not telling you sooner. I didn’t want to say or do anything that would be unbecoming of a professor at a monastery, lest Lady Rhea smite me with the power of the Goddess. I didn’t want to pressure you; I wanted you to come to me first.”

“So, you knew? How I felt about you,” Dimitri said, feeling heat come to his face now, of all times.

“You are not subtle and I am not a fool,” Byleth said, and Dimitri chuckled a bit in agreement. “In your defense, however, I was not subtle either. I gave you many opportunities to confess, but you didn’t. I took that to understand that you knew the consequences of a romantic relationship with me and did not wish to pursue.”

“Wait, what?” Dimitri asked, sounding genuinely confused. 

Byleth blinked a few times. “We...we were having tea together, every Sunday, for the last few months. We go on horseback rides together, often. We have bathed together. We danced together at the White Heron Cup just last week.”

“But after our dance at the White Heron Cup, you pulled away and asked to forget. I was under the impression that you did not reciprocate my feelings,” Dimitri said.

“I pulled away because I did not want anyone to see us together in a compromisable position, if you were not ready to be with me,” Byleth explained. He took Dimitri’s hand, gazing into his eyes, seeing confusion in them, and propped himself up on his elbow. “Dimitri. You are the future Holy King of Faerghus. I am a commoner mercenary. I am also your teacher, the overseer of your house, your general on the battlefield, and we are both men. It is a difficult situation, to say the least. I love you, and of course I was telling the truth when I said I wanted to spend the rest of my days with you, but others might not be so accepting. Have you...really not thought of the possible consequences of our relationship?”

“No. And damn what they think,” Dimitri said immediately, with an innocent naïveté that Byleth found adorable. He squeezed Byleth’s hand. “And you know what? Damn the consequences. I’m to be the King one day. I can love whomever I choose, and I choose you, Byleth. I will always choose you. All that other stuff; we’ll figure it out when we get there. I just want you by my side through it all, as my partner, until our last breath.”

Byleth let out a small, appreciative sigh at the prince’s honesty. “This is why I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Dimitri said, leaning into kiss Byleth again. He shifted slightly. “But honestly, I would also love a bath.”

Byleth chuckled, sitting up. “Sure, let’s go. It should be empty at this hour anyway.”

The two of them half-assedly cleaned Byleth’s room, which mostly meant picking their clothes up off the floor and stacking their armors nicely before tossing on some of Byleth’s loungewear and heading to the baths. Dimitri stumbled for a bit when he got out of bed, his legs still shaking, and his ass a little sore, to which Byleth just chuckled. He put an arm around Dimitri’s waist to help him get to the bathhouse, where he gently helped clean Dimitri, massaging away the tightness in his muscles under warm water, peppering gentle, open mouthed kisses on the prince’s body.

Dimitri did the same for Byleth, cleaning him and kissing him, glad that he was able to openly appreciate Byleth’s body like this. He couldn’t help himself; he sucked and bit a purple bruise into the pale skin at the base of Byleth’s neck. He pulled back to admire his work. Byleth chuckled. “What’s that about?” he asked, pressing against the spot Dimitri had marked.

“You're a taken man now, so I thought it appropriate,” Dimitri said as a matter of fact, and Byleth smiled. 

“Appropriate, hm? Then shall I mark you, too?” Byleth asked, but was already on the prince, leaving a large dark bruise higher up on his neck, near his adam’s apple, punctuating it with a soft bite. “Now anyone that sees it will know that you are mine.”

“No one else will see it but you,” Dimitri assured him. He pressed the mark with his fingers almost proudly, Byleth chuckling as he led them to the pool. They shared a nice, warm bath together before retiring back to the dorms, Byleth giving Dimitri a long goodnight kiss before trying to shoo him back to his room. 

“We shall sleep in my room until morning next time,” Byleth promised, when Dimitri seemed reluctant to let him go. “The sun will be up in a few hours. If we share a bed tonight, neither of us will get any sleep.”

“I shall sleep when I’m dead,” Dimitri said, capturing Byleth’s lips in a kiss once more, pleased with the promise of a ‘next time’. Byleth chuckled, gently pressing his hands against Dimitri’s chest. 

“We have class in a few hours, my prince,” Byleth said. “You have trained all day, and I have kept you up all night. You need to try to get some rest. We may... _ reconvene _ in my office later tonight, if that is amenable to you.”

“I suppose,” Dimitri said with a grin, unable to contain his excitement about sex in the professor's office. “I doubt I will be able to get any sleep with you on my mind. But I will try.”

“Good,” Byleth said quietly, rewarding him with a kiss. He gave Dimitri one last small smile. “I love you, Dimitri.”

Dimitri smiled, big and bright like the sun. “I love you, too, Byleth.”

—

Dimitri was still a little sore the next morning, but he did manage to get a few hours of sleep. It was probably the best burst sleep he had gotten in years. He actually overslept a bit, grateful that he had taken a bath last night so he could quickly throw on his uniform before rushing out to the classroom.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” Dedue greeted as Dimitri quickly strode into class. Byleth wasn’t there yet, the Blue Lions just lounging about while they waited for class to start. 

Felix and Sylvain turned upon hearing Dedue’s greeting; usually Dimitri was the first in class, and he clearly looked disheveled from having run over from the dorms in a hurry.

“You okay? It’s pretty unlike you to oversleep— _ oh-hooooo _ ,” Sylvain started, bursting up from his seat as Dimitri took his behind Sylvain and Felix. “Been there, Your Highness. Bump it.”

Sylvain held his fist out, grinning, and Dimitri frowned. 

“What are you talking about?” Dimitri asked, combing his hair with his fingers.

“I mean I told you to invite me next time you go out on the town, but I’ll forgive you this time, if you tell us who the lucky lady is,” Sylvain teased, and Dimitri was even more confused.

“Sylvain, what on  _ earth _ are you–”

Sylvain wiggled his finger and pulled down Dimitri’s collar, waggling his eyebrows. “It was peeking out of the top of your collar, Your Highness! Looks like someone had a  _ fun night _ .”

Dimitri didn’t need to look in the mirror to see what Sylvain was referring to. He flushed a deep shade of crimson and tried tugging up his blue collar as Sylvain absolutely  _ cackled _ . Ingrid scolded him, but her face and ears were bright pink; Felix rolled his eyes and turned away; Dedue pretended not to have heard or seen anything for the last 30 seconds and stared straight ahead; Ashe was suddenly interested in a book he was holding upside down; Annette and Mercedes exchanged looks with sparkles in their eyes at the potential of gossip.

“What’s going on?” asked a voice and Dimitri didn’t need to turn to see who it was. 

“N-nothing, Professor,” Ingrid started, glaring at Sylvain as though it would shut him up. It didn’t.

“His Highness has a hiiiiiickeyyyyyy!” Sylvain teased in sing-song.

Ingrid swatted at Sylvain, scolding him about how rude he was while he laughed; Felix sighed exasperatedly; Dedue was still pretending to be a statue; Ashe had buried his face in his hands and was groaning quietly; Annette and Mercedes giggled affectionately. The Blue Lions house was as energetic as ever, and when Dimitri dared to glance at Byleth through all the noise, he knew instantly, by the mischievous little glint in the professor’s eyes, that he had marked him there  _ on purpose. _

“ _ Mine _ ,” Byleth mouthed to Dimitri, unseen by the rest of the class, gracefully striding past Dimitri with the tiniest smirk on his lips as Dimitri’s ears reddened. But the prince was anything but upset.

_ Goddess, I love him. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks everyone for reading! might make this into a multi-part work, with future works being just 1 chapter long smut fics based off this one. thanks again and i hope you all enjoyed this, please feel free to find me on twitter @juricurlz.


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